The People’s Tight End still thinks the Niners can make a deep playoff run.
Tight end George Kittle was one of the few bright spots amid the San Francisco 49ers’ painful-to-watch 42-26 Week 10 loss to the Los Angeles Rams at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday.
Not only did the All-Pro lead all Niners pass catchers with 84 yards in the contest, but he also recorded one of the more impressive touchdown receptions fans could have possibly seen.
Even though it was at a point when San Francisco was all but guaranteed to lose, however.
The one-sided loss in which they were outclassed by LA in every possible way did a lot of damage to the 49ers’ playoff aspirations, both in terms of the standings and also in the realization of just how much injuries and attrition have depleted head coach Kyle Shanahan’s squad over the course of the year.
Kittle, however, still feels as if his team remains a strong contender.
George Kittle ‘truthfully’ believes 49ers still have a deep playoff run in them
After the game, Kittle was asked whether or not the loss was a reality check and if the Niners still consider themselves serious contenders for a deep postseason push.
“Yes, I do,” Kittle responded. “I I think we’re incredibly talented and we still have we have guys on offense coming back.”
In a sense, the tight end is correct. San Francisco’s two best receivers, Brandon Aiyuk and Ricky Pearsall, have been absent with injuries for most (all, in Aiyuk’s case) of the season, while No. 1 quarterback Brock Purdy is still nursing his way back from a turf-toe injury that’s kept him out of action since Week 4.
“Brock Purdy is an amazing quarterback and that’s why we paid him so much money,” Kittle added. “And then whenever we can get Ricky and hopefully at some point Brandon back, like, we have a lot of talent on this offense. And so I thoroughly believe that we can score a ton of points, and I really do also believe that our defense will just get a little better every single week. I truthfully do believe that.
“They’ve just been taking haymakers year-round with all the injuries. But I do. [Defensive coordinator Robert] Saleh is such a good coach that he’s going to bump those guys up.”
There’s another aspect to look at, too.
Week 10 is the first time the 49ers lost an NFC West game this season after starting 3-0. And despite finishing the week in third place within the division, a relatively easy stretch of games — the Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers and Cleveland Browns — over the next three weeks help aid the Niners’ hopes of bouncing back after an ugly loss to Los Angeles.
But, as Kittle said, getting healthier is important, too.
