TE Kittle out for 49ers? Cards’ Peterson: I’ll play
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle had 79 yards and a touchdown in his last meeting with the Cardinals, but this time, his team might be without him.
Coach Kyle Shanahan seemed to rule Kittle out during his Wednesday conference call with Arizona reporters, but quickly rescinded that, making Kittle’s status a little murky.
Shanahan was asked about how the return of fullback Kyle Juszczyk can impact the offense, but within his answer, casually brought up Kittle’s availability.
“It helps a lot,” Shanahan said of Juszczyk on the call. “It helps us change up our personnel a little bit more. It allows us to carry three tight ends, which helps more. We have a little bit more depth there. We’re getting (Garrett) Celek back, but we won’t have (George) Kittle, so that changes a little bit with the tight ends. Just having ‘Juice’ (Juszczyk) back there and having a true full back allows us to mix our personnel up more.”
A 49ers spokesperson later clarified with San Francisco media that same day that Shanahan’s “intended message to Arizona media was that the team will have to prepare as though George Kittle is not going to play,” according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.
Still, it seems unlikely Kittle will play. The tight end did not practice Wednesday with a knee and ankle injury.
Peterson will play
Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson knew something was wrong after stretching out to try and intercept a pass during Sunday’s loss at the Buccaneers and he felt a “pull” in his calf.
After being helped to the sideline, taking off his helmet and grabbing a seat on the bench, he let out a loud expletive.
“I did say that word because I hate leaving the field,” Peterson said Thursday after practice. “You only have a certain number of DBs that you’re able to activate on Sundays and I wanted to be out there with my brothers and I knew I probably wasn’t going to be able to finish the game because I wasn’t able to have full pressure in my running stride.”
Peterson was limited Wednesday but did a bit more work on Thursday and pronounced himself ready to start this Sunday against the 49ers.
The key will be continuing to rehab his calf strain and trying to keep it loose, he said.
“I’m definitely playing; I’ve missed enough games,” Peterson said, referring to his six-game suspension to start the season.
Peterson had his worst game in the NFL the last time the Cardinals met the 49ers as Emmanuel Sanders caught seven passes for 112 yards and a touchdown, most of which came against Peterson.
San Francisco’s Dante Pettis also caught a touchdown against Peterson.
“I wouldn’t say I’m looking forward to getting back at him. He had a great game,” Peterson said of Sanders. “I want to prepare this week so I can have a great game. There’s not any revenge. … Obviously, I want to put together a good performance to put our team in the best position as possible to win.”
Injury report
Three players did not practice for the Cardinals on Thursday — outside linebacker Terrell Suggs (hamstring/back), running back Chase Edmonds (hamstring) and defensive lineman Jonathan Bullard (foot).
Six others were limited. They were Peterson, defensive linemen Rodney Gunter (calf ) and Zach Kerr (knee), tight end Maxx Williams (illness), cornerback Tramaine Brock Sr. (hamstring) and right tackle Justin Murray (knee).
Seven players did not practice on Thursday for the 49ers. They were Kittle, Sanders (ribs), running backs Matt Breida (ankle) and Tevin Coleman (not injury-related), left tackle Joe Staley (finger), kicker Robbie Gould (quadricep) and defensive tackle D.J. Jones (groin).
Listed as limited were Pettis (back), defensive end Dee Ford (quadricep), linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair (concussion), tight end Garrett Celek (back), running back Raheem Mostert (knee) and cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon (foot/quadricep).
Johnson’s “looked good”
Running back David Johnson has come under attack by critics near and far for his lack of production this season, especially against the Buccaneers when he was benched after five carries for eight yards and catching one pass for eight yards and losing a fumble on the play.
Back and ankle issues have limited him for much of the last month, but some pundits have speculated that he must not be practicing hard enough if he isn’t producing in games, either.
“He’s looked good in practice,” passing game coordinator Tom Clements said Thursday when asked how well Johnson was moving, cutting and running with force. “I know he had those couple weeks he was out because of the ankle problem, but he was moving around very well, practicing hard, so we’re hoping that he’ll have a good game.”
Johnson is expected to share carries with Kenyan Drake, who could get the lion’s share of the work.
Shipley nominated
Center A.Q. Shipley was the Cardinals’ nominee for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award, a recognition the NFL bestows annually on one player who exemplifies the way the game should be played. The award was first awarded in 2014 to the Cardinals’ Larry Fitzgerald.
Four former NFL players — Warrick Dunn, Curtis Martin, Karl Mecklenburg and Leonard Walker — will choose eight finalists for the award. Active players will then vote for the winner.