49ers' George Kittle questionable for key game against Bears with ankle injury

Audio By Carbonatix

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco star tight end George Kittle was listed as questionable with an ankle injury for the 49ers' key game in playoff positioning on Sunday night against the Chicago Bears.

Kittle missed the full week of practice after getting hurt Monday night in a win against Indianapolis. But coach Kyle Shanahan said Friday that he still has a chance to play with the team having a better idea of his status closer to the game.

Receiver Ricky Pearsall is also questionable after missing last week's game and being limited all week in practice by a knee injury. Cornerback Renardo Green will miss a second straight week with a neck injury.

The 49ers (11-4) clinched a playoff spot last week but are still in the hunt for a division title and possibly the top seed in the NFC playoffs. With wins at home over Chicago (11-4) and Seattle (12-3) the next two weeks, the Niners would clinch home-field advantage and would have a chance to win the Super Bowl on their home field Feb. 8 without having to take another road trip all season.

Being without Kittle would be a big blow to a San Francisco offense that has been operating at a high level during a five-game winning streak. The Niners have gone back-to-back games without having to punt for the first time in franchise history.

Kittle is a key part of both the run and pass game for the 49ers. The Niners’ running game has improved since Kittle returned after missing five games early this season with a hamstring injury.

Kittle has 31 catches for 415 yards and four TDs during the current winning streak and is second on the team to running back Christian McCaffrey in catches (52) and yards (599) despite missing five games.

The 49ers have a 144.6 passer rating when targeting Kittle this season, according to Sportradar, which would be the highest for any player with at least 50 targets since Russell Wilson had a 158.3 rating targeting Tyler Lockett in 2018.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL