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The San Francisco 49ers face a huge test in Week 12, hosting the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football. It’s a battle of two of the top teams in the NFC, and the 49ers are hoping to get some key weapons back for the game.
The team wrapped up Thursday practice, and most notably, tight end George Kittle was a limited participant. This marked Kittle’s first practice session of any kind since injuring his knee in Week 9 against the Arizona Cardinals. Kittle told ESPN beat writer Nick Wagoner that Thursday was “[d]efinitely a good step in the right direction and the goal is definitely still Green Bay.”
Emmanuel Sanders and Deebo Samuel both practiced in limited fashion as well. Both played last week against the Cardinals, but are dealing with assorted ailments. Sanders injured his ribs in Week 10 against the Seattle Seahawks and missed the second half of the game. He returned last week but looked slowed by the injury. He reportedly looked a bit more spry on Thursday, according to beat writer Matt Barrows.
Meanwhile, Samuel injured his shoulder on a circus catch last week. He finished the game and became the first 49ers rookie to record eight receptions and 100+ receiving yards in back-to-back games. He should be fine to play in Week 12.
Sanders and Samuel will probably be playing this Sunday. The bigger question is if Kittle will be able to go. The fact that he was upgraded to limited on Thursday is huge for his chances of playing on Sunday. If he gets in another limited workout on Friday, look for him to be listed as questionable on the final injury report. It’s not ideal for a lineup decision on Sunday evening, but he seems to be trending in the right direction.