Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

George Kittle's Week 1 exit leaves 49ers with big questions

Originally posted on San Francisco 49ers on SI
By Parker Hurley | Last updated Sep 7, 2025 5:53 PM ET

The San Francisco 49ers offense got off to a hot start with George Kittle in the lineup. Kittle was looking like the star of the game with four catches for 25 yards and a touchdown on the first drive. However, he pulled up with a hamstring injury and did not return. He was deemed out for the rest of the game.

Is George Kittle out of the rest of the San Francisco 49ers' week one matchup?

First, this is going to be hard for San Francisco to replace. No one in the sport can quite combine the blocking and receiving combination that Kittle provides. San Francisco has Kyle Juszczyk, who can perform as a poor man's version of Kittle in some ways. He hauled in a massive 25-yard pass with Kittle out of the game and has been lining up in-line more often.

They also added Luke Farrell this offseason and are expecting him to have a big role. However, they thought that role would be complementary to Kittle, and his skill set does not quite replace the skill set that Kittle brings. That is why the team is pushing their fullback more into a tight end role and keeping Farrell as the backup.

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

San Francisco will be without Kittle for the rest of Week 1, but more than that is the bigger concern of how long this injury could linger. Hamstrings are known to take a couple of weeks, and the worst thing you can do with a hamstring is return too early and make it worse.

So, the 49ers could be without Kittle for the next few weeks. This is tough because the schedule is not forgiving. While the Saints should be a win, San Francisco is traveling east for an early start, and New Orleans is coming off a loss.

The team not only has Seattle in week one, but Los Angeles and Arizona in the first five weeks as well. There is now a real chance that the 49ers will play three division games with Kittle hardly suiting up.

At the same time, we do not know the extent of the injury. Kittle is largely known as one of the toughest players in the NFL, and the lack of missed games on his ledger leads you to believe that he may return earlier than some may think.

Every practice report will now be under heavy scrutiny as all of the updates will tell us his status.

This article first appeared on San Francisco 49ers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: