49ers All-Pro TE George Kittle (knee) won't play vs. Giants
San Francisco 49ers All-Pro tight end George Kittle won't make his return to action against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
Hours after San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan announced that quarterback Nick Mullens will start under center as Jimmy Garoppolo recovers from the sprained ankle he suffered while facing the New York Jets last weekend, Shanahan ruled Kittle out with the knee injury that has sidelined him for the better part of the past two weeks.
Kittle, 26, tweaked his knee in the first half of the Week 1 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. While Kittle remained on the field throughout the last two quarters of that game, Garoppolo didn't target him once after halftime.
Kittle will have plenty of company on the list of 49ers players unavailable to face Big Blue:
2019 Defensive Rookie of the Year Nick Bosa and fellow defensive lineman Solomon Thomas are both out for the year due to the torn ACLs they sustained against the Jets. San Francisco was hoping the extra week off would allow Kittle to see at least a limited number of snaps against the Giants, but Shanahan and his staff may have decided that one of the best players at his position shouldn't test a knee injury on the same MetLife turf that was rather unkind to the 49ers on Sept. 20.
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