In his video conference with reporters Monday, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan expressed hope that starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and star tight end George Kittle could return before the end of the season. However, he was unwilling to make any commitment.
Yeah, I’m holding out hope for Jimmy for the last couple of weeks, same with Kittle. I think they’re in a similar boat with that and that’s not guaranteed. It’s how they react over here the next couple of weeks, but they’re just starting to get into where they can get on the field and not with us, but on their own and do some stuff. That’s hopefully going to be the last couple of weeks, whether it’s two games or one game or none.
Garoppolo has been dealing with a severely sprained ankle he suffered in the 49ers second game of the season. While he attempted to play through the injury, he suffered another high ankle sprain in a Week 7 loss to the Seahawks. Kittle fractured his right foot that same week.
The initial timeline on a return for Garoppolo was four-to-six weeks per Shanahan. Kittle’s was reported as an eight-week recovery time.
In his 6 starts this season, Garoppolo has completed 67.4% of his passes for 1,096 passing yards, seven touchdowns, and five interceptions. Kittle has hauled in 37 receptions for 474 yards and 2 touchdowns in 6 games.
