Talking through the 49ers’ game as it happens.

The San Francisco 49ers first possession without George Kittle resulted in a three-and-out. Pat O’Donnell made his punting debut with Mich Wishnowsky out with a back injury. O’Donnell’s punt went 43 yards with no return.

Geno Smith’s first pass went for 12 yards, as Isaac Yiadom gambled and lost. The Seahawks took a shot down the field on first down, but Dee Winters — the linebacker we’ve been clamoring for in pass coverage — was in a great position to break up Smith’s pass.

On 3rd & 2, Jaxon Smith-Njigba beat Renardo...

Will that continue?

The San Francisco 49ers first possession without George Kittle resulted in a three-and-out. Pat O’Donnell made his punting debut with Mich Wishnowsky out with a back injury. O’Donnell’s punt went 43 yards with no return.

Geno Smith’s first pass went for 12 yards, as Isaac Yiadom gambled and lost. The Seahawks took a shot down the field on first down, but Dee Winters — the linebacker we’ve been clamoring for in pass coverage — was in a great position to break up Smith’s pass.

On 3rd & 2, Jaxon Smith-Njigba beat Renardo Green for a first down...

No George Kittle. A hobbled Trent Williams.

Here’s a number watch for the San Francisco 49ers as they are set to take the field against the Seattle Seahawks:

Number watch:

9 - TE Brayden Willis

35: CB Nick McCloud

40: P Pat O’Donnell

43: S Tashaun Gipson

94: DL Yetur Gross-Matos

Will we see fewer tight end sets without George Kittle? An uptick in 11 personnel would make sense with the emergence of Ricky Pearsall. Kyle Shanahan could also elect to use Kyle Juszczyk as his traditional tight end, with Eric Saubert battling an injury.

Defensively, it’ll be the second...

Nick Bosa is active as well

The San Francisco 49ers are about an hour and a half away from taking on the Seattle Seahawks. They will be shorthanded. Let’s start at tight end. George Kittle took the field for pre-game warmups but wasn’t in cleats or pads.

The team announced that Kittle is officially inactive. His backup, Eric Saubert, will play through an illness.

Left tackle Trent Williams is active. He did not practice this week with an ankle injury. He literally limped into Levi’s Stadium:

Here’s the inactive list today:

QB Josh Dobbs
TE Geoge Kittle (hamstring)
DT Kevin...

There’s a lot of AFC vs. NFC this morning.

We have a couple of interconference games this morning as the Detroit Lions host the Jacksonville Jaguars. This might be the end of the road for Doug Pederson.

The Los Angeles Rams travel cross country to take on Drake Maye and the New England Patriots. Is Sean McVay on upset alert? That’d be a brutal loss.

Speaking of upsets, the Sam Darnold train has come to a halt. The book is out on Darnold, and Kevin O’Connell is having a difficult time hiding his deficiencies. The Vikings are on the road...

From DK Metcalf’s return to where Brock Purdy attacks Seattle’s secondary, we highlight what to watch in Week 11

Week 11’s matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks has lost its usual luster after injuries crippled both teams during the first half of the season. We’ll see the best versions of each team this Sunday.

Coming off the bye week, the Niners were as healthy as they’ve been in Week 10. The offense got back its WR1 and best skill player. Jauan Jennings and Christian McCaffrey combined for 200 yards against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Star wide...

However, ESPN’s Adam Schefter believes we’ll see Trent Williams

ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted in the wee hours of the morning that tight end George Kittle is unlikely to play Sunday due to a hamstring injury that made him a limited participant during practice all week. Kittle, who is officially questionable, will see how he is feeling pregame before making a final decision, per Schefter. But it doesn’t sound like Kittle will play.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport had a similar update Sunday morning regarding Kittle: “Officially listed as questionable with a hamstring injury that first popped up on Monday. It’s an...

Some of us believe that to be the case, while one of us isn’t holding our breath.

After playing each other twice in three weeks last season, the San Francisco 49ers (5-4) close the season series with the Seattle Seahawks (4-5) on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.

Last month, the 49ers traveled north to Lumen Field and beat its division rival 36-24. Brock Purdy led the 49ers offense with three touchdowns–all in the second half–and the San Francisco defense forced the Seattle offense to commit three turnovers with a pair of interceptions. Jordan Mason and Issac Guerendo combined for 172 rushing...

Can the 49ers overcome some injuries to get the victory in a divisional matchup?

The San Francisco 49ers are set to take on the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday afternoon, looking to extend their recent winning streak and get a significant win in the division at a crucial part of their season.

The 49ers are coming off a 23-20 walk-off victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where kicker Jake Moody overcame a whopping three misses to hit the game-winner, improving San Francisco to 5-4 on the season.

Now, they face a Seattle team that has slid recently, losing three of their...

Your daily San Francisco 49ers news for Sunday, November 17th, 2024

49ers’ George Kittle reveals the ‘wake-up call’ that fuels his All-Pro career (paywall)

“During surgery, it was discovered that Kittle’s right adductor, a group of muscles that span from the pelvic bone to the inner thigh and knee, was completely detached, which wasn’t caught on an MRI during the season.

“The guy who did my surgery in Philadelphia described it like a baseball and stitching around my core was about 75% torn,” Kittle said. “So I was basically playing without a core. And then he found that my...

The 49ers made a bevy of roster moves ahead of their Week 11 matchup with the Seattle Seahawks.

The San Francisco 49ers made a number of roster moves ahead of their Week 11 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks.

Defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos was activated off Injured Reserve, marking the first time he will suit up in a game since suffering a knee injury back in Week 4 against the New England Patriots. Gross-Matos had suffered a knee issue back in the final game of the preseason, ultimately making his season debut in Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings.

A free...

The results weren’t close in our weekly survey

49ers fans have spoken. After tallying the votes for our poll sponsored by FanDuel Sportsbook, special teams are the biggest concern and challenge for the team to overcome in 2024. Fifty-eight percent of fans are worried about the 31st-ranked special teams unit in the NFL. Of the three options, including injuries and intangibles (red zone offense included), special teams beat both options by 58 to 42 percent.

Special teams can undo an entire season. Ask the Green Bay Packers, who held the number one seed and didn’t allow an offensive touchdown to...