San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle missed practice on Thursday due to a toe injury, although it doesn't appear likely that it will prevent him from playing in Super Bowl 58.
"It's just a toe," Kyle Shanahan said, per David Lombardi of The Athletic.
Although the 49ers didn't officially practice on Wednesday, Kittle was not expected to participate given his status on the team's injury report. Shanahan told reporters that the Pro Bowl tight end is considered day-to-day moving forward, via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
Kittle sustained the injury during San Francisco's 34-31 victory over the Detroit Lions in the NFC Championship game, although he only missed two snaps during the contest. The injury likely hindered his effectiveness on the field though, as the 30-year-old was only able to haul in two receptions for 27 yards.
He's been durable throughout the regular season, appearing in 16 games during his 2023 campaign. His only absence came in Week 18, when San Francisco already locked up the No 1 seed in the NFC and secured a first-round bye.
Kittle racked up 65 catches for 1,020 yards and six touchdowns, providing a reliable option over the middle of the field for quarterback Brock Purdy as the 49ers owned the third-best scoring offense in the NFL during the regular season.
He'll likely make a strong push to play on Feb. 11, as he was a member of San Francisco's roster when the team lost Super Bowl 54 to the Chiefs. Although the 49ers made the NFC Championship game in each of the previous two seasons, this is their first trip back to the Super Bowl since the defeat.
"I'm very happy for this team, this organization, franchise to get back and get this opportunity because, yeah, losing an NFC Championship Game two more times, it's not very fun," Kittle said, per David Bonilla of 49ers Webzone.
He'll need to overcome a difficult challenge to get revenge for the team's prior Super Bowl loss, as Kansas City boasts the league's No. 4 pass defense.
