Christian McCaffrey made it clear on Sunday that playing the rest of the postseason without George Kittle is going to be no easy task.
Just after the 49ers star tight end tore his Achilles in San Francisco’s 23-19 victory over the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field, McCaffrey somberly lamented the loss during a meeting with reporters.
“This team has carried the character of George Kittle throughout the year and since I got traded here,” the running back said. “He’s the heart and soul of this team. So it’s a tough loss.
“When he’s not playing,” McCaffrey added, “it means a lot.”
Kittle went down in the second quarter, and required a cart to get to the Niners locker room.
It was reported he eventually needed a bottle tequila to deal with the situation.
But McCaffrey noted Kittle was still able to help the Niners rally to an upset victory.
“He’s somebody that even going through something that he had to go through and us finding a way to finish, he’s the first guy in the locker room smiling, bumping music, happy for his teammates,” McCaffrey said.
The California Post is coming soon. Sign up for updates.
Get in early. Be the first to know about launch and home delivery.
Thanks for signing up!
“And when you lose a leader like that, you never really lose him because his presence is still in this locker room. His energy is still here.”
McCaffrey was hardly the only Niner to speak about how devastating Kittle’s injury was — left tackle Trent Williams explained to journalists the seven-time Pro Bowler is “like Superman around here.”
Trent Williams seemed to linger near George Kittle longer than others when he went down, there was a reason for that.
I asked Williams about that and if past injuries have made it easier to endure Kittle’s as a team. #49ers | #FTTB pic.twitter.com/sKbBOYvuZ0
— Matt Lively (@mattblively) January 12, 2026
Fullback Kyle Juszczyk also called Kittle “the heart and soul of our team.”
Kittle, 32, played in 11 of the Niners’ 17 regular season games while fighting through various injuries. He logged 628 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on 57 catches.
Jake Tonges is expected to start in Kittle’s stead when San Francisco plays the Seahawks in the next round of the playoffs on Saturday in Seattle.
