The San Francisco 49ers are hoping to have star tight end George Kittle back this week for an important game against Green Bay, but they are unsure if top pass rusher Nick Bosa will be able to play.
In their 20-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks last week, the 49ers were without both Kittle and Bosa, which led to their third loss of the season after they had a late lead. This defeat put San Francisco’s playoff chances in jeopardy.
Kittle missed the entire game due to a hamstring injury, but he was back at practice on Wednesday in a limited capacity and said he was confident he would play on Sunday against the Packers.
With Kittle sidelined, the 49ers scored their fewest points of the season and gained just 277 yards, their lowest total since Week 6 of last season.
Bosa, meanwhile, left the game against the Seahawks in the third quarter with an injury to his left hip and oblique. He was already dealing with a similar issue on the right side, which he described as the most painful injury he has tried to play through.
On Wednesday, Bosa said the injury on his left side is even worse, but he is improving and hopes to be able to play on Sunday.
“It gets better every day,” Bosa said. “We’ll see. It’s a little early to call it either way, so we’ll find out. We have a few days.”
Bosa’s absence had a major impact on the 49ers’ inability to hold their lead. After he got hurt, the Seahawks’ offense improved significantly, going from 3.6 yards per play and six points on five drives to 6.3 yards per play and two touchdowns on their final three drives.
The loss to Seattle left the 49ers tied for second place in the NFC West with a 5-5 record, a game behind first-place Arizona. With little room for error, the 49ers are under pressure to get back to the playoffs after losing in last year’s Super Bowl.
“We’ve come very close in most of our losses and we’re probably three or four plays away from being an 8-2 team,” Bosa said. “If we could play better football throughout the game, we’re as good as anybody, and we believe that.”
In other injury news, quarterback Brock Purdy was limited in practice after injuring his right shoulder during Sunday’s game. He didn’t throw any passes during the open portion of practice, but coach Kyle Shanahan said he expects Purdy to be ready to play on Sunday.
Running back Christian McCaffrey did not practice on Wednesday to rest his Achilles tendinitis, which had kept him out for the first eight games of the season.
Left tackle Trent Williams also took a rest day as he deals with an ankle injury that kept him out of practice last week.
