Sports
McCaffrey reserves special praise for stricken star as injury-ravaged San Francisco 49ers march on
Christian McCaffrey described George Kittle as the “heart and soul” of the San Francisco 49ers after the experienced tight end suffered an Achilles injury that has ruled him out of their playoff push.
Kittle tore his right Achilles in the 23-19 win over the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles last night and, having been taken off on a cart midway through the second quarter, will now spend a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
It is another injury blow for the 49ers, who were already without defensive end Nick Bosa and linebacker Fred Warner. But they rallied for a gusty victory that sees them advance to a NFC divisional round game with the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday.
Running back McCaffrey, who was largely contained on the ground, caught two touchdown passes, one an elaborate play that resulted in a pass from wide receiver Jauan Jennings, to inspire the 49ers’ offense and he paid tribute to Kittle.
“This team has carried the character of George Kittle throughout the entire year,” he said. “He’s the heart and soul of this team. That’s a tough loss. When he’s not playing, it means a lot. When you lose a leader like that, you never really lose him because his presence is still in this locker room. His energy is still here.”
Shanahan proud of gutsy San Francisco
That the Niners emerged victorious was largely down to a coaching masterclass from Kyle Shanahan.
“I was proud of the guys, how hard they battled,” Shanahan said. “Having two linebackers who weren’t on our team a month ago, and those guys playing that whole game and playing at a high level, it was so impressive. Having two turnovers and them having none, and finding a way to win that I thought was huge.
“Losing Kittle early in the game, it was obviously a depressing play for everybody. When you see that and guys stepped up and still made plays and competed, and find a way to win that game. We thought it would be a grimy game. That’s how we say it. It was, and our defensive allowed it to be that way. [I’m] real proud of the guys.”
Seattle coach praises San Francisco
A trip to Seattle on Saturday is another tough assignment but the Seahawks also know they’re in for a tough game despite the 49ers’ injury woes.
“I know they’re a division rival and all that, but that was a heck of a win,” Seattle coach Mike Macdonald told NBC. “I mean, that was a really gutsy performance. Hate to see it happen to George Kittle. He’s such a great player [and a] great competitor.
“We got a ton of respect for him, and [it] just really makes you sick that that happened to him. But to come back and rally and make those plays late as they did, that was a really impressive win.”
