NFL Makes Punishment Decision After George Kittle Injury

After being diagnosed with a low-to-mid-grade left ankle sprain, Kittle was forced to sit out all three practice sessions this week. He has officially been listed as questionable to play on Sunday against the Bears.

Kittle did not name any names when he stated after the Colts game that he was illegally taken down by a hip-drop tackle, which is defined in the NFL rule book as a defensive player grabbing “the runner with one or both hands or wraps the runner with both arms and unweights himself by swiveling and dropping his hips and/or lower body, landing on and/or trapping the runner’s leg(s) at or below the knee.”

The NFL Officiating Department reviews every play from every game. They looked at the tackles from the 49ers-Colts contest, but did not see any violations from Indianapolis, despite Kittle’s claim.

The league announced on Saturday via the gameday accountability report that no Colts player was fined for the Niners game. For context, hip-drop tackles are eligible for a fine of $17,389 for a first offense and $23,186 for a second.

While this is a positive development for the Colts, the bad news is that they have now officially been eliminated from playoff contention. The Houston Texans defeated the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday, 20-16, resulting in Indianapolis losing its chance to secure a postseason berth.  

As for Kittle, his status for the Bears game will likely be decided closer to kickoff. The Niners will host Chicago on Sunday, with the game scheduled to start at 8:20 p.m. from Levi’s Stadium.