‘Hobbling’ tight end Kittle delivers pain of his own to Rams
LOS ANGELES — Tight end George Kittle was dealing with a troublesome groin injury Sunday, but it didn’t stop him from inflicting pain.
Kittle’s eightcatch, 103yard performance in a 207 win over the Rams was highlighted by an eyeopening 45yard catchandrun in the second quarter. Kittle caught the pass at the 35, broke four tackles and dragged defenders several yards before he was subdued at the 6yard line.
“After catching it, I was just trying to get” yards after the catch, Kittle said. “I like to YAC. It’s my favorite thing to do out there.”
On the play, Marcus Peters — the Rams’ 195pound cornerback — didn’t look overly interested in taking on the 250pound Kittle. Kittle was asked whether he notices cornerbacks who adopt a matador approach to tackling when he approaches.
“They take creative angles,” he said, smiling.
Kittle was injured in practice Friday, and head coach Kyle Shanahan said he removed him late in the game because Kittle was “hobbling.” Kittle was listed as questionable, and Shanahan said he was concerned he wouldn’t be able to play.
“Something happened in practice that he was nervous about,” Shanahan said. “Usually when I ask Kittle if he’s hurting, he always tells me no. So when he was in a little bit of pain, I definitely had some concern.”
Last year, Kittle had 14 catches for 247 yards and two touchdowns against the Rams. That included a ninecatch, 149yard performance in the season finale at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in which he broke the NFL record for receiving yards by a tight end in a season.
However, the 49ers lost those games by a collective score of 8742.
“This is a game I’ve had on my calendar for a year,” Kittle said. Red alert: It was a home game for the Rams.
But it sure didn’t sound like it.
During the game, the 49ers’ defensive players often exhorted the thousands of 49ers fans in attendance to get even louder.
“You look out there, and I’m sure the stadium is used to seeing a sea of red because USC plays here,” cornerback Richard Sherman said. “But I’m sure they’re not used to seeing that when the Rams play.” Injury report: Sherman sustained a stinger that initially appeared as if it could be far more serious. After a tackle, he favored his right arm and spent several minutes in the sideline medical tent, but he missed just one play.
Cornerback K’Waun Williams briefly left with a hand injury, and wide receiver Deebo Samuel sustained an unspecified leg injury.
It had to do with his quadriceps, Shanahan said: “Hopefully, just a strain.” This and that: The 49ers held the Rams without a thirddown (0for9) or fourthdown conversion (0for4). According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the last time the 49ers held an opponent without a third or fourthdown conversion was Oct. 16, 1988, in a 2421 win over the Rams. … The 49ers have scored a touchdown on their first possession of the second half in all five games this season. According to Elias, it’s the first time they have done so in the past 40 years.