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“The People’s Tight End” wasn’t mincing words after losing in the fashion the San Francisco 49ers did on Sunday, January 29 at Lincoln Financial Field against the Philadelphia Eagles.
It was one thing to be without Brock Purdy momentarily with an elbow injury. But emergency backup Josh Johnson left with a concussion and a potent 49ers offense never found their explosive side in the 31-7 loss. George Kittle was asked how it felt to lose a game with his team down both available quarterbacks. “The People’s Tight End” fired back with a blunt response.
“How does it feel to lose an NFC Championship Game because I don’t have a quarterback? Pretty s*****, to be honest,” Kittle said.
49ers’ Offensive Struggles in NFC Title Game
Kittle managed to catch a 22-yard pass. Christian McCaffrey broke off a 23-yard run for the 49ers’ only score.
But both would end up being the only plays of 20 yards or more for San Francisco.
The Eagles defense, which allowed the second-fewest yards but delivered the league’s most sacks at 70, wrecked havoc on the 49ers throughout the day. Notable elements that the 49ers struggled with include the following:
All-Pros bottled by air: Kittle was limited to 32 yards on three catches. Deebo Samuel managed to lead the 49ers’ receiving attack — but only caught three passes for 33 yards. Both combined for 65 yards It’s their lowest combined yardage output since combining for 45 yards in the 22-16 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on November 13, 2022.
Reddick wrecking havoc: If there was one game-changing defender in green, it was Haason Reddick. He not only delivered two sacks and recovered a fumble of Purdy, but ran roughshod on tight end Tyler Kroft when he was tasked to block the cat-quick edge rusher. Reddick was a bring reason why the Eagles won the sack battle with the 49ers 3-1.
Aiyuk a non-factor: Yes, the 49ers were hobbled at quarterback. But, 1,000-yard wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk was surprisingly targeted just once in the game — and the result was one catch for 10 yards. While Aiyuk was without a catch in the NFC Divisional Round road win at Green Bay last season, Aiyuk for the last 21 games avoided settling for one reception in a contest until the NFC title game.
George Kittle Sounded Off Some More on Offensive Struggles
Total yards wise, the 49ers ended with these numbers: 83 yards passing, 81 yards rushing.
Again, Kittle wasn’t shying from the fact his team had to operate with a nearly wiped-out quarterback room.
“I mean, losing your starting quarterback who was your third-string rookie to your fourth-string quarterback who did everything he could, and gets hurt right away in the third quarter, then you can only run the ball…it’s tough, it’s frustrating,” Kittle said. “This is a hell of a football team. Great defense, offense was moving it, Christian had an amazing run that kind of got a little spark in us and then you can only do so much. Ball doesn’t bounce our way. It’s football. It’s life.”
Kittle, though, said these words to the reporters who heard him share his honesty.
“I think we’ll definitely come back,” Kittle said. “I mean, we have a great foundation with this team, a great locker room. So, just on to the next one.”
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