GETTY George Kittle #85 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates a touchdown against the New Orleans Saints during the third quarter in the game at Mercedes Benz Superdome on December 08, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
With recent changes in the state of California’s re-opening amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the San Francisco 49ers did their part while hilariously referencing the team’s 2019 win over the New Orleans Saints.
The 49ers’ video encourages residents of California to “Be a Saint. Grab a Face Mask.” to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, but uses a special moment from San Francisco’s 48-46 win over New Orleans to get its point across.
Be a saint. Grab a face mask.
The play shown is when tight end George Kittle caught an all-important pass as the 49ers were trailing the Saints 46-45 in New Orleans, but his storming run after the catch, which included getting his facemask pulled by Saints defensive back Marcus Williams, tacking on 15 yards.
The play set up San Francisco kicker Robbie Gould with a game-winning chip shot, seeing the 49ers through to an 11-2 record and a crucial win in the race for the No.1 seed in the NFC.
However, if the Saints are upset about last year’s loss and the trolling from San Francisco, they won’t have to wait long: the 49ers and New Orleans will meet again in a similar late-season situation in 2020, with the a clash scheduled at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome for Nov. 15.
Twitter Reacts to 49ers’ Post
One of the reactions that immediately stood out was a self-proclaimed Saints fan giving props to the San Francisco social media team.
@49ers As a Saints fan, this is a great tweet
There were a plethora of comments from Saints and NFL fans who brought up the 49ers’ 31-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV, as well as a boatload of fans who brought up the fact that the Saints had to watch that game from the sidelines.
One Twitter user brought up the bounty scandal that the Saints were involved in from 2009 to 2011, in which players were given money bonuses for injuring or targeting certain opposing players.
@49ers Let me find out there was a $10k bonus for that facemask
California’s Situation Regarding COVID-19
The state of California has confirmed over 240,000 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began, with the state reporting a new-high on June 29 with 9,480 cases in a 24-hour period.
The spike in cases happens alongside the state’s progress through reopening, which has prompted California Gov. Gavin Newsom to promote new awareness regarding mask-wearing as well as slowing down reopening in certain parts of the state.
Per California’s website, Newsom released this statement:
“We all have a responsibility to slow the spread. It is imperative – and required – that Californians protect each other by wearing masks and practicing physical distancing when in public so we can fully reopen our economy. We all need to stand up, be leaders, show we care and get this done.”
The 49ers contributing to the message is no surprise, as the release details how Newsom and the state of California are looking to major players and media outlets in the state to help promote the campaign and limit the spread of COVID-19.
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Evan Reier is a sportswriter covering the San Francisco 49ers for Heavy.com and local sports for the Montana Standard in Butte, Mont. Reach out to him on Twitter at @evanreier and join our 49ers community at Heavy on 49ers on Facebook.
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49ers Troll Saints, Promote Wearing a Mask in Hilarious Viral Video