49ers te Kittle being held out against Jets
San Francisco star tight end George Kittle has been ruled out of the 49ers’ Sunday road game against the New York Jets due to a knee injury.
Kittle injured his left knee last Sunday during the team’s 24-20 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. He had four receptions for 44 yards before exiting.
The two-time Pro bowl selection missed practice all week before coach Kyle Shanahan announced Friday that he wouldn’t play against the Jets.
Shanahan said he waited on making a decision due to Kittle’s history of being able to persevere through pain. ultimately, though, the coach decided to leave Kittle in the bay Area with a cross-country flight looming Friday.
“If it was just the normal person, we would have ruled him out earlier in the week, but we never do that with George because of what he’s shown us here over these three years with him,” Shanahan said. “We would have held out two more days to wait and see if it was a home game, but with us having to travel today, we had to decide whether it was worth it to bring him.
“If he’s not going to play, it’s much better to leave him here for a couple days and let him get his rehab and everything. So, we had to make that decision a little bit earlier today. That will help him.”
Kittle is fresh off back-toback outstanding seasons. He caught 88 passes for 1,377 yards and five touchdowns in 2018 and followed with 85 receptions for 1,053 yards and five scores last season.
Godwin ‘doubtful’
Tampa bay buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin returned to the practice field on Friday, but his availability for this weekend’s game versus the Carolina Panthers remains in question.
Godwin was spotted catching passes on the sideline as well as performing some light stretches during the portion of practice that was open to the media. Still, coach bruce Arians told reporters that Godwin will be “doubtful” for Sunday’s home opener as he works his way out of concussion protocol.
Per ESPN’S Adam Schefter, Godwin will undergo more tests on Saturday.
“If doctors clear him then, he will be upgraded to questionable,” Schefter wrote on Twitter. “but he still has hurdles to clear to play.”
Godwin was injured after taking a hit to the helmet in the buccaneers’ 34-23 loss to the New Orleans Saints. The Pro bowl wideout led Tampa bay with six receptions for 79 yards in the season opener.
The fourth-year pro caught 86 passes for 1,333 yards and nine touchdowns in 14 games last season.
titans’ brown ruled out
Tennessee Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown has been ruled out for this weekend’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, coach Mike Vrabel announced Friday.
brown is nursing a bone bruise in his knee, an injury that was sustained in Tennessee’s 16-14 season-opening victory over the denver broncos on monday night.
Schefter reported brown is likely considered week-toweek with the injury.
brown, 23, reeled in five catches for 39 yards in the season opener. He had 52 receptions for 1,051 yards and eight touchdowns during his rookie season in 2019.
Tennessee likely will look to Corey davis in the passing game, but the wideout is dealing with a troublesome hamstring after leading the team with seven catches for 101 yards in the opener.
Golladay will sit again
detroit Lions wide receiver Kenny Golladay and cornerback desmond Trufant have been ruled out for this weekend’s game against the Green bay Packers with respective hamstring injuries, the team announced Friday.
Guard Joe Dahl (groin) and tight end Hunter bryant (hamstring) have also been ruled out for the Lions (0-1).
Golladay also sat out detroit’s 27-23 setback to the Chicago bears. He had 65 receptions for 1,190 yards and 11 touchdowns last season to earn Pro bowl honours.