The San Francisco 49ers have the opportunity to improve to 3-0 this Sunday when they face the Arizona Cardinals during their home opener at Levi’s Stadium. Unfortunately, they continue to be banged up.
Tight end George Kittle will miss his second straight game due to a hamstring problem, and since he was placed on injured reserve, he must miss at least two additional games, per NFL rules. Quarterback Brock Purdy didn’t play last weekend against the New Orleans Saints due to a toe injury, and head coach Kyle Shanahan said it’s “highly unlikely” he will start versus Arizona.
Niners fullback Kyle Juszczyk left last Sunday’s win and was placed in concussion protocol. While there has been no official word on whether he has cleared concussion protocol, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports reported that there is a sign he will end up playing in Week 3.
“It looks as if FB Kyle Juszczyk and DB Siran Neal have received full clearance out of the concussion protocol,” Maiocco wrote on X.
“Neither was wearing the blue no-contact jersey, which signifies they have reached the fifth and final stage of the NFL’s return-to-play process.”
Read more: Former NFL Scout Offers Brutal Assessment of Vikings’ JJ McCarthy
Juszczyk is arguably the NFL’s best fullback, and he has played a sizable role in helping San Francisco put together one of the league’s toughest offenses, at least when the team has been healthy enough.
He has been named to the Pro Bowl in each of the last nine seasons, and last season, he had 19 catches, 200 receiving yards and three total touchdowns.
The 49ers are also without wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who tore his ACL and MCL in Week 7 of last season against the Kansas City Chiefs. In addition, wide receiver Jauan Jennings didn’t practice on Friday for the third day in a row, and he’s listed as questionable because of ankle and shoulder ailments.
Read more: Bears Coach Ben Johnson Gets Honest About Caleb Williams
After Sunday’s game against the Cardinals, the Niners will host Travis Hunter and the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 28 before they hit the road for two difficult games against the Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They won’t have their bye until Week 14.