Claire Kittle couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

The San Francisco 49ers suffered a big blow at the start of their playoff run. The NFC West team escaped Lincoln Financial Field with a hard-fought 23-19 win over the defending Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, but the win came at a cost.

Star tight end George Kittle suffered a season-ending injury in the second quarter. He was carted off the field, as fans feared the worst. The 49ers confirmed that Kittle suffered a season-ending Achilles injury on Monday. Fans felt for the seven-time Pro Bowler upon learning the news.

His wife, Claire Kittle, was in disbelief as she watched the play and its consequences live. Behind-the-scenes footage shared by Kristin Juszczyk on Instagram (via OurSF49ers on X) showed Claire Kittle’s raw reaction to her husband’s devastating injury.

She initially yelled at George Kittle to get up before dropping an F-bomb.

Juszczyk consoled her afterwards, before sharing a message about how hard it was to see Kittle suffer such a terrible injury.

George Kittle’s Wife Sends Heartfelt Message To 49ers TE After Season-Ending Injury

George Kittle and Claire Kittle (Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)
Claire Kittle shared a touching message for her husband on Instagram. She took an excerpt of Theodore Roosevelt’s “The Man in the Arena” to motivate her husband to return to the top of his abilities.

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“He is the man who is not only daring enough to strive for things most would be too diffident to attempt, but he always does it all with great enthusiasm,” Claire posted. “No doubt he will take on this recovery with the same tenacity as he does with everything else, and he will back better than ever before. We love you.”

George Kittle forced the San Francisco 49ers to elevate Brayden Willis to the active roster. Jake Tonges will start against the Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round.