San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch joined Bay Area radio station KNBR on Friday. He discussed the status of tight end George Kittle, who is recovering from an ankle injury suffered Monday night against the Indianapolis Colts. The setback has put Kittle's availability for Sunday night's Week 17 game against the Chicago Bears in doubt.
The stakes are high for San Francisco. With two wins to close out the regular season, the 49ers can secure both the NFC West title and the NFC's top playoff seed. With Super Bowl LX set for Levi's Stadium, the team could position itself to play every remaining game at home on the path to a championship.
Lynch acknowledged that the 49ers must balance Kittle's desire to play with the long-term implications of a postseason run.
"Well, I think that's always a part of the equation with all of our players, particularly with a player like George, who's so valuable to us," Lynch said. "Of course, you want George out there, and of course, this is a huge game against the Bears."
Kittle's short week didn't help, as the team returned from the East Coast early Tuesday morning.
"He had it stacked up against him, in that it was a Monday night game on the eastern side of our country," Lynch noted. "So you're flying back, you're not getting back until 3:30. The clock is just shorter—the amount of time you have to get back on the field."
The news could have been worse. Kittle avoided a high-ankle sprain that would have required a longer recovery. Lynch confirmed it is a low-ankle sprain and that Kittle is progressing well.
"Is he going to get there? We don't know, and this is one of those things, he'll take it right up [to game day]," Lynch said. "George is the type of player that you probably give him that latitude where, 'Hey, we'll give you all the way up to the game.'"
If Kittle cannot go, Lynch expressed confidence in the depth of the tight end group.
"Will we be the same team? No," Lynch added. "We're different with George out there, but Luke Farrell's a really good football player. We've seen what Jake Tonges can do when George is out. Braden Willis would then be up.
"So, we'll see where this thing goes. George is doing everything he can ... to try to be out there for this Bears game, and that will be one that will go right down until Sunday evening."