San Francisco, CA
George Kittle’s return gives glimpse of healthy 49ers offense
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — On Sunday night, moments after playing an entire game without a catch for the first time in his eight-plus NFL seasons, San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle was his usual, chipper self.
Kittle didn’t mind much that his 114-game run of catches, the second-longest streak by a tight end to start a career since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, had ended. Quite the opposite, in fact, after he played a prominent role in jump starting the Niners’ run game in a 20-10 victory against the Atlanta Falcons.
“I would love to get the football,” Kittle said. “I love catching the ball. I love hitting people and I love running in the open space. But like I said, if other guys are taking advantage of the opportunity and they’re winning their one-on-ones, I’ll take it. I want to win, and I want to just keep winning because that’s way more fun than having 100 yards and losing.”
If the Niners (5-2) are going to keep winning, Kittle will have to play a significant role in it — whether as a blocker in the run game, a receiving threat in the pass game, a magnet for attention from opposing defenses or some combination of all three.
But while Kittle’s return from the right hamstring injury that kept him out for five games didn’t come with big numbers, it offered a glimpse of what the Niners offense could be when quarterback Brock Purdy and wideout Ricky Pearsallreturn, too.
According to coach Kyle Shanahan, Purdy (right big toe) and Pearsall (right knee) will be monitored as the week goes on before deciding if either could return Sunday against the Houston Texans(1 p.m. ET, Fox).
There’s still no definitive timetable for receiver Brandon Aiyuk (right knee) to return to practice though Shanahan has indicated Week 10 could be a logical landing spot. Guard Ben Bartch (right ankle), guard Spencer Burford (knee) and wide receiver Jacob Cowing (hamstring) are also nearing a return.
All of which means the 49ers could be getting serious offensive reinforcements soon, though with this team there’s no such thing as fully healthy. (Example A: The offense will be without center Jake Brendela “couple of weeks” due to a hamstring injury.)
Getting closer to full strength on offense is ideal considering the defense is working through the seasonlong absences of linebacker Fred Warner (dislocated and fractured right ankle) and end Nick Bosa (torn right ACL).
“We’re going to have to step up,” right tackle Colton McKivitz said. “On offense, is there a little more urgency to score? Yeah. Is there a little more urgency to run the ball better? Yeah, I mean, same thing in the pass game. It is just time for us to start hitting on all cylinders.”
Through the first seven games, the Niners might have been a few cylinders short, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t been productive. A closer inspection of their output would suggest the offense is close to breaking through into the league’s top echelon, if only they can improve in a few key areas.
As it stands, the 49ers are sixth in the NFL in yards per game (366.6) and average time of possession (31:51), fifth in first downs per game (22.1) and second in third-down conversion rate (47.5%) but are 23rd in points per game (20.7) and 18th in yards per play (5.3).
The disconnect can be traced to turning the ball over too much (11, tied for fifth most), struggling to finish drives in the red zone (47.8%, 25th in the league) and a lack of explosive plays on offense (a combined 38 runs of 10-plus yards and receptions of 20-plus yards, tied for 19th).
At least one solution for all of those problems can be found in Kittle, who has fumbled twice in his career, scored the third-most red zone receiving touchdowns (21) among tight ends since 2021 and has the second-most receptions of 20-plus yards (116) among tight ends since entering the league in 2017.
Even when Kittle isn’t catching the ball for big gains, his impact in the run game is undeniable and unlocking that part of the offense should positively impact those aforementioned problem areas. In San Francisco’s first six games, it had just nine explosive runs (gains of 10-plus yards). With Kittle back against the Falcons, the Niners had eight such carries.
Having Kittle in the lineup adds a dominant run blocker to the mix and keeps defenses honest, which is why the Falcons threw double and triple teams at Kittle while running back Christian McCaffrey feasted. That script could flip at any time, and getting Aiyuk, Pearsall and others back will only expand those options.
“Everything changes [with those guys],” wideout Kendrick Bourne said. “Not to take away from anybody else, but George is one of one. … Can’t wait to have him and Ricky back to just help us, but he’s going to open up a lot of different windows for me, for CMC, for everybody else and it is going to be fun.”
Getting the big plays back in the mix is another priority for the 49ers, though there’s also a notable trend around the NFL where defenses are doing everything they can to take them away and force offenses to execute drives of a dozen or more plays without making a mistake.
Since Shanahan arrived in 2017, the Niners have 999 explosive plays, the most in the NFL. But those plays have been harder to come by this season as defenses have focused on McCaffrey and dared a rotating cast of pass catchers to do damage down the field.
“It’s harder in general to get explosives in the league now, the way defenses play,” 49ers offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak said. “It’s not something you’ve got to overcorrect or anything. You think those will come your way if you keep playing the right way.”
None of that takes away from what tight endsJake Tonges and Luke Farrell and receivers Bourne, Jauan Jennings and Demarcus Robinsonhave done to keep the offense afloat through the first part of the season. It’s just the reality of how defenses are approaching the Niners when they don’t have their full complement of stars. It’s also part of what has made McCaffrey’s performance so impressive. Every defense knows he’s getting the ball more often than not and he still leads the league in scrimmage yards (981).
So long as he’s healthy, the offense will remain McCaffrey-centric for the foreseeable future.
But it’s not hard to envision a day soon where defenses must pick their poison. In the meantime, the Niners don’t expect to be at full strength again this season. For they know better than most what is required of them in the absence of so many important players.
“There’s some teams that just get brutally hit with injuries, and at the end of the day, outside of your locker room, nobody really gives a s—,” Kittle said. “And regardless of who’s out there and who’s not out there, the Niners are going to try to play with the standard that we’ve set.”br/]
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San Francisco, CA
50 Beagles Rescued From Wisconsin Lab Arrive in Bay Area, SF Activist Faces Felony Charges
Animal rescue groups persuaded a Wisconsin breeding lab to sell 1,500 beagles after activists worked for a decade to free them, and 50 of the dogs arrived in the Bay Area Sunday. Meanwhile, an SF activist faces 12 years in prison for rescuing some of them prior to the deal.
Last month, several animal rights activists attempted to free 1,500 beagles at Wisconsin-based Ridglan Farms, the second-largest breeder of beagles for laboratories in the US, as KGO reported last week. Four activists, including Dean Guzman Wyrzykowski of San Francisco, were arrested during the rescue operation and charged with felonies, with up to 12 years in prison, according to a post by Wyrzykowski on social media.
“There are thousands of dogs just like her in laboratories across the country,” says Wyrzykowski, while holding the dog he’s accused of stealing.
Last week, animal rights group Big Dog Ranch Rescue, which is based in Florida, and DC-based Center for a Humane Economy made a confidential agreement with the lab to purchase the animals to be adopted out by rescue groups. Per KGO, well-known Berkeley activist Zoe Rosenberg, who brought one beagle named Chester home with her, was among the volunteers helping the dogs in Wisconsin after they were rescued.
As KGO reports, the Northern California Beagle Rescue Group brought 50 beagles to the Bay Area via school bus Sunday, and they’ll be adopting them out to homes in San Francisco, San Jose, Sacramento, and nearby cities once they’ve received veterinary care.
The dogs had likely never touched grass until after leaving the lab, and they’ve been slowly acclimating to their new lives. Some were reportedly malnourished and most had bad teeth and were in need of dental work.
“It was very emotional,” says Wendy Lansdon, a volunteer with Northern California Beagle Rescue, speaking to KGO about when the bus full of dogs first arrived in the Bay Area. “Some of them were really quiet when we got in there, some of them were happy, and the other ones were terrified.”
Prior to the dogs’ arrival, the Northern California Beagle Rescue Group announced on social media it was seeking foster home volunteers in Fremont, San Jose, and Sacramento — near where the beagles will be receiving veterinary care. The group is also requesting donations to help fund the dogs’ vet care.
According to the site Save the Dogs, activists had been pushing for the closure of Ridglan Farms for almost 10 years, as investigators, whistleblowers, veterinarians, and others worked to spread the word about the inhumane conditions of the lab, which stayed in operation for decades, despite being hit with hundreds of state-level cruelty violations.
“The dogs born there were treated as inventory: bred, confined, sold to research, disposed of,” says Save the Dogs.
Save the Dogs notes that activists are now targeting Marshall BioResources, the largest breeder of dogs for laboratories in the country, which has operations in New York and the United Kingdom.
Image: Northern California Beagle Rescue/Facebook
Division-leading Dodgers aim to snap home losing trend as they open series against the Giants in a matchup of NL West foes
After dropping their second straight home series over the weekend, the Los Angeles Dodgers head into Monday night’s series opener against the San Francisco Giants sitting atop the National League West Division standings, aiming to avenge a series loss to the Giants from two weeks ago. San Francisco has lost nine of its last 12 games overall and have dropped seven in a row on the road as they begin a 10-game road trip that will keep them away from home until Memorial Day Weekend. The Giants will start Trevor McDonald (1-0, 1.29 ERA) in his fourth start in the Majors while the Dodgers will counter with second-year Japanese import Roki Sasaki (1-3, 5.97 ERA) who has given up a home run in five consecutive outings.
How to Watch San Francisco Giants vs Los Angeles Dodgers:
Date: May 11, 2026
Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
TV Channel: MLB Network
Location: Dodgers Stadium
Live Stream the San Francisco Giants vs Los Angeles Dodgers game on Fubo: Start watching now!
Dodger center fielder Andy Pages, who has helped Los Angeles claim World Series titles in each of his first two years in the Majors, leads the team this season hitting .333, ranking the 25-year-old Cuban third among all hitters in MLB. Pages is hitting .371 so far in May with five extra base hits and 10 RBIs and has successfully reached base in 13 of his last 14 games.
With nine hits in seven games so far this month, Giants second baseman Luis Arraez is hitting a team-leading .310 at the plate in 2026 and is on pace for his eighth career 100-hit campaign. Arraez is one of only two active players with a career batting average above .300, hitting .316 for his career and leads Houston’s Jose Altuve by 15 points.
What time is Giants vs Dodgers?
Coverage of the San Francisco Giants vs Los Angeles Dodgers starts Monday, May 11, at 10:00 p.m ET. Tune in to see if the Dodgers can beat the Giants for the fifth time in the last six games at Dodger Stadium or if San Francisco can beat LA for the fourth time in the last five head-to-head matchups.
What channel is the Giants vs Dodgers game on?
Looking to watch the game? Subscribers can tune to MLB Network to catch the action. Make sure you subscribe to Fubo now to watch this matchup at home or on the go with the Fubo TV app.
Watch the San Francisco Giants vs Los Angeles Dodgers game on Fubo: Start watching now!
Regional restrictions may apply.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the McCoven who hopefully have better things to do than watch this dreadful baseball team. But if this is your chosen way of spending the day, then welcome, and may the Giants beat the Pittsburgh Pirates to win the series for you.
Right-hander Tyler Mahle takes the mound for the Giants, as the veteran makes his eighth start of the year. He’s 1-4 on the season, with a 5.00 ERA, a 4.91 FIP, and 34 strikeouts to 18 walks in 36 innings. He was very strong his last time out, pitching 5.1 shutout innings against the Tampa Bay Rays.
For the Pirates, it’s right-hander Bubba Chandler, a 23-year old in his second season. In seven starts this year, Chandler is 1-4 with a 4.76 ERA, a 5.60 FIP, and 31 strikeouts to 26 walks in 34 innings. Chandler gave up two runs in five innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks in his last game. He has issued the most walks in the Major Leagues, so he’s probably foaming at the mouth to face the Giants, who apparently believe that drawing walks is a sin on par with murder.
Enjoy the game, everyone. Go Giants! Go moms!
Who: San Francisco Giants (15-24) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (22-18)
Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California
Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area
Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM
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