49ers' Nick Bosa set to face Rams; George Kittle 'looks good'

MELBOURNE, Australia -- The San Francisco 49ers arrived in Australia with defensive end Nick Bosa and tight end George Kittle looming as their largest injury-related question marks heading into Week 1.

And while there are still a few days before the Niners meet the Los Angeles Rams at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, all signs point toward Bosa and Kittle playing in Thursday's game.

On Bosa, who is recovering from a torn ACL in his right knee suffered in Week 3 last season, 49ers defensive coordinator Raheem Morris left no room for equivocation.

"Oh, he's going out there," Morris said. "Whatever you want to say, he's going. We're not hiding that."

While offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak wasn't quite as definitive before practice here Tuesday, he offered strong hints that Kittle will be able to return against the Rams after tearing his right Achilles tendon in January.

"Super impressed with how he's looked considering the injury he had and how quickly he got back out on the field and just committed to his rehab," Kubiak said. "And it's been pretty cool to see Kittle out there looking like himself to me. Looking fresh. How that affects him on game day and what the workload is will be determined.

"But he looks good to me. He's practicing full speed, he's getting a ton of reps, so I feel like we're in good shape."

Asked directly if Kittle will play Thursday, Kubiak said the decision will be made official after the Niners wrap up their practice week -- but that it's heading in that direction.

"We have got to see how he gets through the rest of the week, we've got two more practices, but Kittle looks good," Kubiak said.

Over the past few weeks, Bosa's return appeared more uncertain than Kittle's. Bosa started training camp by participating in individual drills then missed time with tendinitis and soreness.

Bosa returned to practice last week before the Niners left for Australia and indicated afterward he'd had enough of a breakthrough that he would play against the Rams, so long as he didn't have any sort of setback.

The 49ers have remained cautious with the practice plan for Bosa, and it's unclear how much he will play Thursday, if he is active. But Morris believes Bosa will be involved in some form.

"Nick's a pro at everything he does," Morris said. "The ultimate pro. When you talk about me anticipating him being out there, I definitely anticipate that because of who he is and what he's done and how he's gone about his process to get ready for this."

The 49ers activated Kittle from the physically unable to perform list Aug. 24, and he returned to practice soon after. He has been a regular participant in practices ever since, including working in team drills. Kittle was in uniform and participating during both practice sessions available to media here.

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