San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

49ers TE George Kittle's Week 1 status questionable after groin injury in practice

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated 9/7/22

There's potentially bad news on the horizon for the San Francisco 49ers as they look ahead to their Week 1 matchup with the Chicago Bears. George Kittle, San Francisco's superstar tight end, missed practice on Wednesday with a groin injury.

Kittle was listed as a DNP (did not practice) and he apparently suffered the groin injury in Monday's practice.'

According to ESPN's Nick Wagoner, it's still unclear whether or not the groin injury will keep Kittle out of the Week 1 contest in Chicago.

#49ers TE George Kittle has a groin injury, suffered in Monday’s practice, per Kyle Shanahan. Kittle is not practicing today. Unclear right now if it will keep him out this week.
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) September 7, 2022

The fact that it's a road game won't help Kittle's cause. It's a bit easier for a player to recover and get ready for a game when he can do so with the comforts of home-field advantage. In this situation, though, Kittle will have to travel to Chicago with the team and hope that he can get some good rehab in beforehand and not tighten up during travel.

It also hurts that the injury is to the groin, which is a notoriously tough injury for athletes to shake. They may not always cause a player to be "out" of a game, but groin injuries have slowed down many a star player over the years.

Kittle is officially listed as "questionable" on the 49ers' injury report.

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