Two starters on the long haul south
George Kittle and Nick Bosa were due to board a plane for Australia on Wednesday, NFL Network reported. The detail carries more weight than it sounds. San Francisco opens the season against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne next Thursday night, and a player who is not on that flight is not playing in that game.
Both men spent most of the summer rehabilitating. Both are now covering roughly 10,000 miles for a division opener.
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Kittle, eight months after the Achilles
The tight end tore his right Achilles on Jan. 11 in a wild-card win over Philadelphia. San Francisco activated him from the physically unable to perform list on Aug. 23. He has put together two encouraging practice days this week and is trending toward facing the Rams.
The production tells you why the 49ers are counting the days. Kittle caught 57 passes for 628 yards and seven touchdowns in 11 games last season, a short year by his standards. Across 124 games he has 595 receptions for 8,008 yards and 52 touchdowns, with four 1,000-yard seasons and seven Pro Bowl selections. He turns 33 during this campaign and has yet to look like a player in decline.
Bosa’s missing year
Bosa’s absence was longer and quieter. He tore his right ACL last September, three starts into the season, with two sacks and 17 tackles already on his ledger. He did not practice through most of training camp this summer.
The 28-year-old has 64.5 sacks, 168 quarterback hits, 278 tackles, two interceptions and 13 forced fumbles in 85 games since San Francisco took him second overall in 2019. Five Pro Bowls. A defensive front built around one edge rusher, then a full season played without him.
The Rams and 49ers have split their NFC West meetings often enough that Week 1 in Melbourne carries real weight in the division race. San Francisco finds out on the other side of the world whether the two players it missed most are ready.
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