49ers Get Christian McCaffrey Concern After George Kittle Injury

After one game, the injury bug has hit the San Francisco 49ers as the team placed tight end George Kittle on injured reserve with a hamstring injury on Tuesday.

Kittle, injured in the first half of Sunday’s win over the Seattle Seahawks, will be sidelined for the next four games: at New Orleans Saints, at home against the Arizona Cardinals and Jacksonville Jaguars, and at the Los Angeles Rams, ESPN reports.

Under NFL injured reserve rules, Kittle’s earliest possible return would be Oct. 12 at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With the veteran tight end now out of the offense, ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky is concerned that the 49ers might lean too much on Christian McCaffrey.

“I get concerned with McCaffrey touches,” Orlovsky said on “NFL Live.” “I mean, 31 touches in Week One in September. Because the initial thought is, well, Kittle’s hurt. McCaffrey was the guy last week. And so look at the touches per 2019 per game. Like, 31 touches. Are we going into October with 120, 130 touches for McCaffrey? It’s a lot to weather in San Francisco right now.”

Who will replace George Kittle at Tight End?

As for who replaces Kittle, there’s backup tight end Luke Farrell, signed by the 49ers this offseason from the Jaguars on a three-year, $15.75 million deal for his blocking skills, who made a key four-yard grab on fourth-and-2 in the third quarter.

Later, Jake Tonges — who came into Sunday without a single NFL regular-season catch — stepped up with three receptions for 15 yards on the decisive drive. His most crucial play came on a pass he initially thought Brock Purdy was throwing away, only for it to turn into the game-winning touchdown.

How Will the 49ers’ Offense Be Without George Kittle?

With Kittle now out on the field, ESPN NFL analyst Mina Kimes discussed what the 49ers could be looking for. Kimes notes that McCaffrey will be the focus of opposing defenses, and there are opportunities for players like Ricky Pearsall to take advantage.

“I think a couple of things for San Francisco,” Kimes said on “NFL Live.” “If the defense is keying on Christian McCaffrey — which is what’s going to happen — can you continue to punish them with Ricky Pearsall, who I thought came up big in this game? And then pass protection.

“Brock Purdy was pressured 26 times in this game, and a lot of that, I will say, was Purdy holding onto the football a little bit too long, which he’s sometimes prone to do, but also tons of unblocked pressures.

“Now, I think Seattle’s defense is very tricky, and this is a Week 1 thing where maybe Week 1 is a little bit of a liar. But moving forward, that has to improve, I think, for this offense to keep running without Kittle.”

San Francisco will now turn the page on the Seahawks and focus on Week 2 as the team looks to go 2-0 on the season. Moreover, the 49ers will have a second straight road game as they travel to the Caesars Superdome for a winnable game against the Saints.

Cubs' Cade Horton boggles Braves again

Cade Horton baffled the Atlanta bats for the second straight outing with 6 1/3 strong innings and Pete Crow-Armstrong drove in a pair of runs to help the visiting Chicago Cubs beat the Braves 6-1 on Tuesday to even their three-game series.

The Cubs (82-63) ended a three-game losing streak and now hold a 3-2 lead over the Braves (65-80) in the season series. The Cubs are trying to win a season series against Atlanta for the first time since 2017.

Horton (10-4) allowed one run on four hits with two strikeouts and no walks. He threw 87 pitches and lowered his ERA to 2.70. Last Wednesday, Horton threw five no-hit innings against the Braves and was removed after reaching a pitch limit.

Andrew Kittredge retired the final two batters in the seventh. Caleb Thielbar worked a scoreless eighth and Ben Brown closed the game on his 26th birthday with a perfect ninth.

Crow-Armstrong was 1-for-2 with a walk, a hit by pitch and two stolen bases. He also drove in the Cubs' first run with a sacrifice fly in the first inning and singled in their second run in the third.

Atlanta's Spencer Strider (5-13) suffered his fifth straight loss. He pitched six innings and allowed two runs on six hits, three walks and eight strikeouts -- his most since fanning eight against the New York Mets on July 18. Strider also picked Willi Castro off first base.

The Braves cut the lead to 2-1 with a run in the third. Ronald Acuna Jr. doubled and scored on Jurickson Profar's two-out single to right. Acuna's hit to lead off the inning was the first by the Braves in two starts against Horton.

Chicago put the game away with a four-run rally in the eighth. Reliever Alexis Diaz walked Dansby Swanson with the bases loaded and was replaced by Connor Seabold. Matt Shaw singled to center field to drive in a pair of runs, then a third scored when Michael Harris II's throw scooted past the third baseman.