George Kittle misses practice with ankle injury, status for Niners’ game against Bears in question

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco Pro Bowl tight end George Kittle missed practice with an ankle injury on Wednesday, leaving his status for this weekend’s big game against the Chicago Bears in question.

Kittle hurt his ankle during Monday night’s 48-27 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. Coach Kyle Shanahan said Kittle still has “a chance” to play on Sunday night against the Bears depending on how quickly he heals this week.

San Francisco (11-4) has clinched a playoff spot and can earn the top seed in the NFC by beating the Bears (11-4) and Seattle (12-3) in the final two games of the season.

The 49ers got some good news on the injury front on Wednesday with receiver Ricky Pearsall returning to practice on a limited basis after missing last week’s game with a knee injury.

Pearsall, who missed six games earlier this season with a knee injury, has 31 catches for 443 yards on the season.

But losing Kittle would be a big blow to a San Francisco offense that has been operating at a high level during a five-game winning streak. The Niners have gone back-to-back games without having to punt for the first time in franchise history.

Kittle is a key part of both the run and pass game for the 49ers. The Niners’ running game has improved since Kittle returned after missing five games early this season with a hamstring injury.

Kittle has 31 catches for 415 yards and four TDs during the current winning streak and is second on the team to running back Christian McCaffrey in catches (52) and yards (599) despite missing five games.

The 49ers have a 144.6 passer rating when targeting Kittle this season, according to Sportradar, which would be the highest for any player with at least 50 targets since Russell Wilson had a 158.3 rating targeting Tyler Lockett in 2018.

Defensive lineman Yetur Gross-Matos also didn’t practice Wednesday, getting a scheduled day off to rest his sore knee.

Cornerback Renardo Green was limited after missing last week’s game with a neck injury.

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