PHILADELPHIA (AP) — George Kittle's season was over, a torn right Achilles tendon for the star tight end that dampened the mood in a playoff win that kept the San Francisco 49ers in the hunt for a Super Bowl.
Yet Kittle, perhaps knowing the worst, clapped for his 49ers' teammates even as he was carted off the field late in the first half of Sunday’s wild-card playoff game at Philadelphia.
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Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell (27) breaks up a pass intended for San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) during the first half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell (27) breaks up a pass intended for San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) during the first half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) is carted off the field after an injury during the first half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) is carted off the field after an injury during the first half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)
“I think everyone’s just hurting for Kittle,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said.
Kittle missed the celebration after Brock Purdy threw a go-ahead 6-yard touchdown pass to Christian McCaffrey late in the fourth quarter and the 49ers eliminated the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles with a 23-19 wild-card victory Sunday.
The 49ers head to top-seeded Seattle without Kittle next weekend for an NFC divisional playoff game.
Kittle was pushed out of bounds on a 6-yard reception and grabbed the back of his lower right leg. He was ruled out for the rest of the game.
Kittle is a key part of both the run and pass game for the 49ers, but played in just 11 games this season because of injuries. He missed five games with a hamstring injury and missed a Week 17 game with an ankle injury.
The catch against the Eagles was Kittle's first of the game.
“This team has carried the character of George Kittle throughout the entire year,” McCaffrey said. “Since I got traded here, he's the heart and soul of the entire team. It's a tough loss. When he's not playing, it means a lot. When you lose a leader like that, you never really lose him because his presence is still in the locker room.
"His energy is still here."
Kittle had 57 catches for 628 yards receiving and seven touchdowns this season.
He honored Grateful Dead founding member and big 49ers fan Bob Weir with “DEAD FOREVER” on tape around his left ankle. Weir's death was announced Saturday. He was 78.
Shanahan also all but ruled out All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner's return against the Seahawks. Warner dislocated and broke his right ankle in a loss at Tampa Bay on Oct. 12.
Warner was a first-team All-Pro in three straight seasons and four of the last five, making the Pro Bowl in each of those four seasons.
Shanahan simply said the chances were “not very high” Warner could make an improbable comeback.
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Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell (27) breaks up a pass intended for San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) during the first half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell (27) breaks up a pass intended for San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) during the first half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) is carted off the field after an injury during the first half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) is carted off the field after an injury during the first half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)
DETROIT (AP) — The opening of a Canadian-U.S. bridge across the Detroit River, which President Donald Trump had previously threatened to block, was delayed Thursday due to unresolved issues.
In a statement released before a scheduled Friday ribbon-cutting ceremony at the bridge, the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority said that “Canada and the United States have agreed to delay the opening of the bridge, taking the necessary time to resolve any outstanding issues.” It didn't elaborate on what those issues are or how long the delay would last.
The 1.5-mile-long (2.4-kilometer-long) Gordie Howe International Bridge spans the Detroit River and connects the Motor City with Windsor, Ontario. The bridge is jointly owned by Canada and Michigan and was expected to open to traffic later this month.
But the opening had been thrown into question after Trump in February demanded in a social media post that Canada turn over at least half of the bridge’s ownership to the U.S. federal government and agree to other unspecified demands in one of the Republican president's many salvos over cross-border trade issues.
Michigan officials and the White House had been in contact for months about the bridge following Trump's post, with the understanding that the opening would move forward Friday. Invitations for the bridge’s opening went out this week following a conversation between Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.
“This project is a powerful example of bipartisan and international cooperation, and the governor looks forward to attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony when it happens,” a statement from Whitmer spokesperson Bobby Leddy said.
Internal disagreements within the Trump administration threw those plans into question, as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick pushed back on the opening, according to two people with knowledge of the matter who insisted on anonymity to discuss the private talks.
The White House did not immediately return a request for comment Thursday.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney hinted Wednesday that the opening could be delayed, while downplaying any concerns.
“There is no big drama. If it takes a little longer it will take a little bit longer, but this will benefit Canadians, Americans, business, tourists, residents for decades and decades to come,” Carney said on his way into Parliament.
Even with the delay, officials remained optimistic that the bridge — a roughly $4.4 billion project — is still expected to open.
“We need to keep this very much in perspective,” said Sandy Baruah, president of the Detroit Regional Chamber and former U.S. assistant secretary of commerce. “Our organization, the state of Michigan and others have been working on this bridge for 20 years. If it opens July 1, Aug. 1 or Sept. 1, I’m not going to get overly agitated about it. This is a long-term play.”
Named after the late Canadian Hockey great Gordie Howe, who spent 25 seasons leading the Detroit Red Wings, the bridge is expected to be another vital economic artery between Canada and the United States.
The construction project was negotiated by Rick Snyder, the former Republican governor of Michigan, and paid for by Canada to help ease congestion at the existing Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor tunnel. Work has been underway since 2018.
U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin, a Michigan Democrat, said she’s taking people at their word that the holdup is “a minor hiccup.”
“This is probably the most bipartisan issue in the state of Michigan, so it’s ridiculous that we can’t just seal the deal,” Slotkin said.
Detroit and Windsor have been neighborly for generations, with residents in both countries frequently crossing the shared river border for entertainment and shopping. Windsor's population in 2021 was about 230,000. Like Detroit, the Canadian city's economy has a strong focus on manufacturing and the auto industry.
Commercial trade between the two cities primarily has been across the nearly century-old and privately-owned Ambassador Bridge, which is closer to downtown Detroit than the Gordie Howe Bridge.
The Ambassador Bridge had been the busiest commercial border crossing between the United States and Canada until last year, when truck traffic along the Blue Water Bridge connecting Port Huron, Michigan, to Sarnia, Ontario, surpassed the Ambassador Bridge's numbers, according to the Bridge and Tunnel Operators Association.
In 2025, about 2.1 million trucks crossed the Blue Water Bridge compared to just over 1.8 million that used the Ambassador Bridge. About 3.5 million passenger vehicles used the Ambassador Bridge last year, while 1.6 million crossed via the Blue Water Bridge.
Combined, more than 9.2 million vehicles crossed the border on those two bridges in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
More than 3.7 million cars and SUVs also traveled between the United States and Canada last year via the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel.
Both bridges and the tunnel are working at full capacity, and the new bridge will help improve the efficiency of commercial and personal traffic between the two countries, Baruah said.
“This is what government is supposed to do, make it easier for business to conduct commerce,” he said.
Cappelletti reported from Washington.
FILE - Canadian and American flags are shown on the Gordie Howe Bridge under construction between Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)
FILE - The Gordie Howe Bridge is shown under construction between Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)
