George Kittle Injury Update, Latest on Return Timeline Ahead of 49ers' Game vs. Bears

San Francisco 49ers star tight end George Kittle suffered an ankle injury during Monday night's 48-27 win over the Indianapolis Colts and reportedly is "highly unlikely" to play against the Chicago Bears on Sunday night, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan previously told reporters on Wednesday that Kittle "has a chance" to play against the Bears, according to Pro Football Talk's Josh Alper.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler first reported that Kittle is dealing with a "mid-to-low ankle sprain." Kittle also told reporters that he feels that an illegal hip-drop tackle technique was to blame for the injury.

"It happened in the second quarter," Kittle said after the game, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. "I feel like I got hip dropped, ankle got stuck in the grass or the turf, the cork turf, really weird field. Tried to tape it up, went in in the third quarter, really got worse from there. If I can't run very fast or plant, I think it's better to have other tight ends in there making plays."

Despite suffering the injury and eventually exiting the game early, Kittle led the 49ers with seven catches for 115 yards and a touchdown in Monday night's victory. Two of his catches were recorded in the third quarter after the injury occurred, providing an encouraging sign for his status going forward.

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Kittle also said when discussing his injury that he's not too worried about his ankle injury forcing him to miss significant time.

"My concern level? I don't think it's a high-ankle sprain, so we'll take it one day at a time and go from there," he said.

Kittle has been limited to 10 games this season after missing time with a hamstring injury earlier in the year. He still ranks second on the team with 52 receptions, 599 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns.

Monday's win improved San Francisco's record to 11-4 and extended their winning streak to five straight games. The 49ers appear to be peaking at the right time, and they still have a shot to earn the No. 1 seed in the NFC over the final two weeks of the regular season.

San Francisco will be playing in prime time for a second straight week when they meet the Bears (11-4) on Sunday Night Football, so the team is certainly hopeful that Kittle will be able to suit up for another tough matchup.