Star tight finish George Kittle wasn’t stunned the San Francisco 49ers put the 33-19 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Christmas night time behind them earlier than they clinched home-field benefit for the playoffs thanks, partly, to a 27-10 victory on the Washington Commanders on Sunday.
“That is one thing I prefer to level out—I realized final yr within the NFC Championship Sport, once we didn’t have a quarterback, simply the battle that our guys have,” Kittle defined throughout a chat with Albert Breer of Sports activities Illustrated. “An important factor in soccer, moreover profitable, is your résumé, what you placed on tape, what the digicam sees, what the complete league will get to see after they watch your tape. You possibly can activate the tape from the NFC Championship Sport final yr or the Ravens sport final week, and all people simply fights their tails off…If you’re a part of a group like that, that mindset, it doesn’t matter what’s occurring and you’ve got the need to battle, it makes it actually particular.”
Apart from the Baltimore debacle, Kittle referenced how the Niners misplaced quarterback Brock Purdy to a torn ulnar collateral ligament throughout final January’s NFC Championship Sport loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Extra not too long ago, Purdy handled regarding stingers in back-to-back contests, and he tossed 4 interceptions versus the Ravens on Dec. 25.
Purdy and the 49ers bounced again in an enormous manner on the ultimate day of 2023, as the ultimate decide of the 2022 NFL Draft completed 22-of-28 cross makes an attempt for 230 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions within the win over Washington.
“He’s gone via the highs,” Kittle informed Breer about Purdy. “He’s gone via the lows. He by no means will get too excessive and he by no means will get too low. He’s very even-keel. That’s one factor that individuals on the surface don’t see about him. He’s the identical man day by day. He can throw for 4 touchdowns, he can throw 4 interceptions. He’s the identical man each single day. He doesn’t get in his feels or something like that.”
Whereas it appears a lock that Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson will win the Most Precious Participant Award for the season over Purdy and all different contenders, DraftKings Sportsbook confirmed on Monday afternoon that the 49ers ended Week 17 because the betting favorites at -120 odds to signify the NFC in Tremendous Bowl LVIII. Purdy probably will not thoughts shedding out on MVP if he is in a position to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy come February.
