SANTA CLARA, Calif. – San Francisco Pro Bowl tight end George Kittle missed practice with an ankle injury on Wednesday, putting his participation in this weekend's big game against the Chicago Bears in doubt.
Kittle injured his ankle during Monday night's 48-27 win over the Indianapolis Colts. Coach Kyle Shanahan said Kittle still has a “chance” to play Sunday night against the Bears, depending on how quickly he recovers this week.
San Francisco (11-4) has clinched the playoffs and can earn the top seed in the NFC by defeating the Bears (11-4) and Seattle (12-3) in the final two games of the season.
The 49ers got some good injury news Wednesday as wide receiver Ricky Piersall returned to practice on a limited basis after missing last week's game with a knee injury.
Pearsall, who missed six games early in the season with a knee injury, has 31 catches for 443 yards on the season.
But losing Kittle will be a big blow to San Francisco's offense, which has been operating at a high level throughout its five-game winning streak. For the first time in franchise history, the Niners played back-to-back games without punting.
Kittle is a key contributor for the 49ers in both the running and passing game. The Niners' running game has improved since Kittle returned after missing five games early in the season with a hamstring injury.
Kittle has 31 catches for 415 yards and four touchdowns during the current winning streak, and he ranks second on the team behind running back Christian McCaffrey in catches (52) and yards (599) despite missing five games.
The 49ers have a 144.6 passer rating against Kittle this season, which would be the highest for any player with at least 50 targets since Russell Wilson had a 158.3 passer rating against Tyler Lockett in 2018, according to Sportradar.
Defenseman Yetur Gross-Matos also did not practice Wednesday, given a scheduled day off to rest his sore knee.
Cornerback Renardo Green was limited after missing last week's game with a neck injury.
