George Kittle and the 49ers were in the holiday spirit Saturday, delivering a huge gift to the Chicago Bears.
With the 49ers' surprising 20-12 win over the Arizona Cardinals, the Bears (7-7) now control their own playoff fate. If Chicago can beat the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday and grab a win over the Green Bay Packers in Week 17, they will head to the playoffs and the Cardinals will be watching from home.
Kittle, who returned to the 49ers' lineup Saturday after missing seven weeks with a cuboid bone fracture in his foot, was thrilled he could help out the team he rooted for growing up.
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"Overall, I'm happy for our team," Kittle said after the win. "But I will say this: I grew up a Bears fan and the fact that we helped the Bears makes me happy. Da Bears!"
The Bears opened the season 5-1 before losing six straight games to fall to 5-7. But Mitchell Trubisky has rallied the Bears since re-entering the lineup, leading them to wins over Houston Texans and Minnesota Vikings over the last two weeks.
Chicago's official Twitter account gave Kittle a social-media nod of approval for improving their playoff chances.
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Kittle caught four passes for 92 yards in the win as the 49ers refuse to roll over in a season that has been wrecked by countless injuries.
The 49ers will hope to play spoiler one more time next Sunday when they face the Seattle Seahawks in a game that could decide the winner of the NFC West.