George Kittle suffered a catastrophic Achilles tear during the San Francisco 49ers’ bruising Wild Card victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. The All-Pro tight end collapsed in absolute agony mid-play. Unseen footage has emerged showing the devastating reaction from his wife, Claire, in the stadium suite. Kristin Juszczyk shared the emotional clip on Instagram to promote their web series.
Dec 22, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) reacts after a play against the Indianapolis Colts in the second quarter of the game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
The video has generated over 1.3 million views across social media platforms since Thursday. It documents Claire Kittle sobbing as medical staff carted jersey number 85 off the field.https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTi0Jc1kiJI/embed/captioned/?cr=1&v=14&wp=675&rd=https%3A%2F%2Fgridironheroics.com&rp=%2Fgeorge-kittle-wife-claire-cries-acl%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A3762.6000003814697%2C%22ls%22%3A1513.3000001907349%2C%22le%22%3A3716.300000190735%7D
The joint Instagram post served as a trailer for a new episode of their “Wife’d up Mic’d Up” series. The caption noted that Sunday was filled with emotions.
The 49ers managed to secure a 23-19 win despite losing their offensive centerpiece. The team must now prepare for a Divisional Round showdown against the Seattle Seahawks.
The reigning champion Eagles could not capitalize on the momentum from injuries in the final quarter. The 49ers defense held firm to preserve the 4-point margin of victory.
George Kittle faces long recovery as wife Claire speaks
Claire Kittle broke her silence on Tuesday with a gut-wrenching statement regarding the injury. She expressed the shock of watching her husband fail to rise from the turf.
“Disbelief and stillness were all I felt as I yelled, get up, get up, over and over again.” Claire wrote this on her personal Instagram account.https://www.instagram.com/p/DTeozdbDhbS/embed/captioned/?cr=1&v=14&wp=675&rd=https%3A%2F%2Fgridironheroics.com&rp=%2Fgeorge-kittle-wife-claire-cries-acl%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A1%2C%22os%22%3A3770.6000003814697%2C%22ls%22%3A1513.3000001907349%2C%22le%22%3A3716.300000190735%7D
She praised his resilience and unique character while acknowledging the pain of the moment. Her post included black-and-white photos of her kissing his forehead on the stretcher.
“He is a unicorn in this world, and he will be back stronger and better than ever before.” She stated this regarding his future return to the field.
The fashion influencer attended the game wearing his high school letterman jacket for luck. She described the Niners roster as possessing a rally-together grit that defines their season.
“The mind of a heartbroken athlete is a determined one. He is unfuckwithable, as is this entire team,” Claire declared in the viral social media post.
The loss of George Kittle removes a vital blocking component for the 49ers run game. Head Coach Kyle Shanahan must reinvent his offensive scheme within just 6 days.
Opposing defenses will undoubtedly target the vacancy left by the star tight end. The team’s championship aspirations now rest on their ability to embody the grit Claire described.
