George Kittle and wife Claire welcome 2024 with impressive win vs Commanders

George Kittle has been with the San Francisco 49ers for the entire duration of the Kyle Shanahan era, and the tight end has seen good times and bad. The All-Pro and his wife, Claire Kittle, are soaking in the success as the team has rung in the new year with a guaranteed home-field advantage in the playoffs.

Kittle's wife knew Thanksgiving was over but still expressed gratitude for where the couple were as the calendar turned to 2024. Taking to Instagram, she posted a barrage of photos with a caption of thanks:

"Rang in the New Year with a win & GK1k ✨🏈 Lots to be thankful for heading into 2024 Happy victory Monday #bangbang," Claire wrote.

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George Kittle aims for first Super Bowl victory as playoff wall approaches

George Kittle at NFC Championship - San Francisco 49ers v Philadelphia Eagles

The San Francisco 49ers have been to the postseason on a perennial basis since 2019 but have failed to break through. Every year, just one team keeps the franchise from winning it all. In 2019, the 49ers reached the Super Bowl with Jimmy Garoppolo but failed to hold on as Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs pulled off a late comeback.

Then, in 2021, George Kittle's franchise was red hot once again, reaching the conference championship. However, the LA Rams nabbed their first win over the franchise of the season and sent them home. The Rams then won the Super Bowl over the Cincinnati Bengals.

The following season, George Kittle and the 49ers reached the doorstep of the Super Bowl but got hit with an injury tsunami as every quarterback on the roster suffered an injury.

In the NFC championship game of the 2022-2023 season, Christian McCaffrey became the de facto quarterback by the end of the game. Kyle Shanahan was forced to call wildcat plays with no other players available to run an offense.

This year, the Kittles and the rest of the faithful 49ers fans hope that the seventh time's the charm for Shanahan.

However, as the playoffs come into full view, Christian McCaffrey's health has raised some red flags for the offense. McCaffrey, arguably the beating heart of the offense, suffered a calf strain and will miss the Week 18 showdown against the LA Rams, per ESPN. As such, and with the bye week clinched, the running back will have had about 21 days to fully recover.

Will McCaffrey be back to 100% in time for the team's first playoff game in a calendar year? If he does heal, will the added rest time hurt his momentum going into the divisional round of the playoffs?