It was a 49ers season filled with lots of highs and a haunting low.
As 49ers players and personnel cleared out the locker room at the team’s Santa Clara facility on Tuesday, San Francisco’s All-Pro tight end George Kittle was asked by reporters how he separates the team’s success to its brutal Super Bowl LVIII loss.
“I would say it takes time [to process]," Kittle told reporters. “I would say it’s OK to be upset, disappointed. It’s totally fine. You just don’t want to let that affect other aspects of your life, or let that affect the rest of your year by any means."
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The 49ers’ season culminated with Patrick Mahomes throwing a game-winning touchdown in overtime at Allegiant Stadium, resulting in a heartbreaking end to Kittle and Co.’s season, which featured more celebratory moments than not.
And while the loss continues to sting the 49ers organization, Kittle hopes everyone around him will utilize the emotional experience as fuel for change.
“It takes time to accept it, absorb it … whatever the word is you want to use for it,” Kittle added. "And then, you will find a way to channel it, use it or just be able to flush it and being able to move on and attack the next stage.”
San Francisco 49ers
Post-Super Bowl reactions from the 49ers have come in all forms, but Kittle’s words serve as a reminder that, eventually, the entire franchise will turn the page and focus on the next chapter.