The seven-time Pro Bowl tight end was carted off the field<\/a> in the second quarter of Sunday\u2019s NFC wild-card matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. Kittle was later diagnosed with an Achilles injury.<\/p>\n Despite Kittle\u2019s injury, the 49ers held off a late rally to upset the defending champion Eagles. His wife, Claire, later shared a message of heartbreak but also optimism about his recovery.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM<\/a><\/p>\n George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers is carted off the field during the second quarter in an NFC wild-card playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field Jan. 11, 2026, in Philadelphia. (Mitchell Leff\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n “Disbelief and stillness were all I felt as I yelled, get up, get up, over and over again. He always gets up. He\u2019s George \u2014 he can do all things. He just does it. It hurts. There\u2019s no preparing for it. I love this man with everything I have in me. He is a unicorn in this world, and he will be back stronger and better than ever before,” Claire captioned an Instagram post<\/a> showing her and the 49ers star in the training room and on the sidelines at Lincoln Financial Field.<\/p>\n 49ERS STAR GEORGE KITTLE REFLECTS ON SEASON-ENDING INJURY: ‘FOOTBALL SUCKS SOMETIMES’<\/a><\/p>\n “The mind of a heartbroken athlete is a determined one. He is un-(expletive)-able, as is this entire team. I\u2019m proud of these guys and the rally-together grit they fight with each week. It\u2019s a special year, you can feel that and we\u2019re not done yet. Thank you for loving G and carrying some of this pain for us,” she wrote.<\/p>\n San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle greets wife Claire Kittle before a preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium Aug. 23, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Chris Unger\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n George responded to Claire\u2019s post with his own message of gratitude, commenting, “You\u2019re the best teammate for this journey.”<\/p>\n Kristin Juszczyk<\/a>, the wife of Kittle\u2019s teammate Kyle Juszczyk, also chimed in, writing, “Forever proud to be part of this fam! For 85!!”<\/p>\n George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers is carted off the field during the second quarter of an NFC wild-card playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field Jan. 11, 2026. in Philadelphia. (Elsa\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n Kittle dealt with injuries during the regular season, which limited him to 11 games. He still recorded 628 receiving yards and hauled in seven touchdowns.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP<\/a><\/p>\n The Niners<\/a> will also be without star defensive players Nick Bosa and Fred Warner when they kick off against the Seahawks Saturday. San Francisco Pro Bowl offensive lineman Trent Williams said this season\u2019s injuries built resiliency.<\/p>\n “I think that made us stronger for stuff like this,” Williams said. “Kittle going down in the first half. I think if we didn\u2019t have experience with that, it would have been easy for everybody to fold, and nobody would have blamed us. They would say, \u2018Hey, they don\u2019t have this player, don\u2019t have that player. They probably should lose.\u2019”<\/p>\n Follow Fox News Digital\u2019s sports coverage on X<\/a>, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Chantz Martin is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n![\"George](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/george-kittle-49ers-injury.jpg\")
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