Bad news that everyone knew was coming became official on Thursday.
The San Francisco 49ers placed quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and tight end George Kittle on injured reserve.
Garoppolo left San Francisco's loss to Seattle with a high-ankle sprain, coach Kyle Shanahan said Tuesday, while Kittle suffered a small fracture in his foot during the fourth quarter. Each of them will miss at least three weeks on IR, though it is likely they will have longer absences.
Coach Kyle Shanahan said Tuesday that Kittle could miss eight weeks, while Garoppolo's injury is usually four-to-six weeks, but in this case surgery could be an option.
The 49ers (4-4) will host the Green Bay Packers tonight on "Thursday Night Football" as they begin what will likely be an extended run without Kittle and Garoppolo.
Nick Mullens will start in place of Garoppolo, while Jordan Reed was activated from IR on Thursday and will look to fill the Kittle-sized void.
Kittle previously missed two games this season and Garoppolo also missed two earlier games with a separate ankle injury, as the 49ers' issues with injuries have been long and unfortunate since before the 2020 season even commenced.
Kittle, considered one of, if not, the best tight ends in the game has 37 receptions for 474 yards and two touchdowns in six games this campaign. Garoppolo is 3-3 as a starter for the 49ers this year, having thrown seven touchdowns to five interceptions with 1,096 yards passing.
