49ers' George Kittle Played Through Fractured Rib Cartilage During 2018 Season

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle had a breakthrough 2018, but the 25-year-old did so while battling through what The Athletic's Matt Barrows described as "fractured cartilage" on Wednesday.

Kittle admitted to Barrows that he suffered the injury early in the Niners' Week 9 game against the Oakland Raiders. "That means 793 of his 1,377 yards last year came while injured," Barrows noted.

In the Raiders game, Kittle returned to the field and caught four balls for 108 yards and a touchdown.

Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle further revealed that Kittle had fractured rib cartilage. "It doesn't feel very good," he said, per Branch. "I wore two giant rib protectors for the rest of the season. ... It's just something you play with."

Kittle broke the NFL's single-season record for most receiving yards by a tight end with those 1,377 yards, which came through 88 receptions and resulted in five touchdowns. The 2017 fifth-round pick did not miss a game despite the injury.

Because Kittle forged on, San Francisco left tackle Joe Staley told Branch that he didn't know about the rib injury. "George isn't the type of guy to announce that he has something. He's a tough guy, so I don't think he's going to be out there telling everyone about how tough he is."

By Week 9 of any NFL season, in all likelihood, more players than not are playing through some sort of pain. In that regard, Kittle's admission isn't surprising. However, the level at which he continued to perform and just how injury-riddled the 49ers were in 2018 make it noteworthy.

Before the regular season even started, running back Jerick McKinnon tore his ACL in practice and did not appear in a game. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was lost for the season when he tore his ACL in Week 3 against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The rest of the way, quarterbacking duties were spread between C.J. Beathard and Nick Mullens. The uncertainty of who would be throwing to Kittle makes his accomplishment all the more impressive.

With Garoppolo expected to return healthy in 2019, the Jimmy G-to-Kittle connection has the potential to become lethal to defenses.