Kittle pushing to play for 49ers; Saints’ Kamara to miss Week 2
The 49ers have been preparing to be without George Kittle again in Week 2, but the star tight end is reportedly pushing to play.
George Kittle’s status for the San Francisco 49ers’ Week 2 clash with the Seattle Seahawks is up in the air, with conflicting reports over whether he will play or not. Pro Bowl tight end Kittle missed the 49ers’ shock Week 1 loss to the Chicago Bears with a groin injury. He returned to practice on Friday, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported he is not expected to play as the 49ers look to avoid an 0-2 start in Trey Lance’s first season as the starting quarterback.
However, NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport labelled Kittle as a “game-time decision”. According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, Kittle is pushing to play despite the 49ers preparing to once again be without him.
Bucs at Saints
The highlight of the early window of games is the NFC South clash between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints. Tampa Bay will be without one wide receiver as Chris Godwin misses out because of a hamstring injury, but Mike Evans (calf) is expected to play. Veteran Julio Jones (knee) is questionable and the Bucs reportedly do not expect to know if he will be available until pre-game warm-ups. Running back Leonard Fournette (hamstring) is set to play, but left tackle Donovan Smith is doubtful with an elbow injury.
For the Saints, running back Alvin Kamara is likely to miss out due to a rib injury, but his backup Mark Ingram (ankle) is expected to play, as is quarterback Jameis Winston (back).
In the Sunday night game, the Green Bay Packers are set to welcome back wide receiver Allen Lazard (ankle) for their encounter with the Bears at Lambeau Field.