Everyone on the 49ers’ sideline knew what was happening.
Even in a 48-32 blowout loss to the playoff-bound Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, George Kittle’s coaches and teammates wanted to get the ball back and give San Francisco’s second-year tight end a chance at history.
“And we would have got people out there, try to stay as healthy as possible,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said, “but the whole team wanted us to get that for Kittle.”
The game was decided. The Rams were playing backups, as they had all but clinched a first-round bye in the playoffs.