Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle doesn’t hide his feelings when it comes to division rivals. While he admits he dislikes all three NFC West opponents, one team gets him more fired up than the others—the Los Angeles Rams, who visit Levi’s Stadium this Sunday for a pivotal Week 10 matchup.
Kittle joined NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco to discuss why the Rams, in particular, draw his ire.
“The Seahawks and the Cardinals are always—they’re up there,” Kittle admitted. “Division rivals are always up there, just because we play them twice a year, and for some reason, my wife (Claire) hates all three of them, which I just love that out of her. I think her and [49ers kicker] Eddy [Piñeiro] both hate them, and I’m not entirely sure the reason, but they both hate them.”
Kittle revealed that Piñeiro is actually his wife’s favorite 49ers player. She admires the kicker’s consistency on the field, which explains why Kittle brought him up during the conversation.
Back to the Rams, Kittle reflected on how his rivalry with the team began early in his career.
“I don’t know, the Rams week is just—because when I first got in the league, they were the best team in the division, easily,” Kittle explained. “And I think we lost our first four games to them or something like that, or three games to them.”
Writer’s note: The 49ers lost three of their first four games against the Rams after Kittle was drafted in 2017.
“And so, it just always made me want to beat them,” Kittle continued. “And every single time I ever play them, I always want to beat them. I don’t know if it’s Sean McVay and how he memorizes everything, if that pisses me off, but there’s just something about the Rams that makes me want to always have a good game against them.”
Interestingly, Kittle mentioned that he never spoke with the Rams during the 2017 pre-draft process, although that isn’t the reason behind his distaste. His strong feelings developed later—specifically when the 49ers began their nine-game regular-season winning streak against Los Angeles.
“It probably started in 2019,” Kittle said. “The only way to beat these guys, because they’re always athletic, they’re always talented, they always got a great scheme, they always got a great offense, and the only way to beat them is just to mentally say, screw it. I’m going to be really violent and physical today.”
The 49ers enter Sunday’s matchup with a 6-3 record, while the Rams sit at 6-2, potentially making this divisional showdown critical in the race for the NFC West title.
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