49ers List George Kittle as OUT against New York Jets

Uh oh.

Uh oh.

49ers tight end George Kittle will NOT play Sunday against the New York Jets. The 49ers officially listed him as out for the game.

Kittle suffered a knee sprain during the second quarter of the 49ers 24-20 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. He returned to the game and finished it, but knee sprains often hurt more the next day.

“A normal person, we probably would have ruled him out earlier in the week,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said, “but we never do that with George because of what he has shown us over the three years we’ve been with him. We would have held out two more days to see if it were a home game, but with us having to travel today, we had to decide whether it was worth it to bring him. If he’s not going to play, it’s much better to leave him here for a couple days and let him get his rehab. So we had to make the decision a little earlier. That will help him and benefit him, and he’ll meet us in West Virginia. Hopefully, these two days staying here will help him and he’ll be ready to go next week.”

Kittle has missed just three games in his career. So for him to miss this upcoming game while the 49ers’ record is 0-1, the knee injury must be somewhat severe.

To make matters worse for the 49ers, defensive end Dee Ford could miss the game with neck spasms. He suffered the injury initially during Wednesday’s practice. The 49ers list him as questionable. He can’t seem to make it through two weeks of the season without getting injured. Bad investment.

But there’s good news for the 49ers: Both wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (hamstring) and center Ben Garland (ankle) are on track to play against the Jets. Both missed the 49ers’ season opener against the Cardinals, but both practiced every day this week and seem healthy enough to play. The 49ers need them to play. They can’t afford to start the season 0-2.