Days before the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers faced off in Week 18 of the regular season, George Kittle uttered a comment that may or may not have been taken out of context by members of the Rams. Kittle shared that it was a “bodybag game” for both sides due to the physicality that both teams play with.
Some people in Los Angeles seemed to think Kittle was saying the 49ers were going to send the Rams home in a bodybag, rather than reading his full quote. Despite Kittle’s remarks being misconstrued, Raheem Morris and other members of the Rams are looking to get revenge on the All-Pro tight end’s comments.
“He’s one of my favorite players in this league, other than this week,” Morris told reporters Thursday. “When you talk about George Kittle you’re talking about a competitor, a tough guy. He came out and talked about the bodybag game last week and he put us in one and now it’s our time to pay him back.”
Everything seemed to be going swimmingly for the Rams in their Week 18 showdown with the 49ers. Los Angeles came out firing with an early 17-0 lead in the first half, giving the team a chance to end their five-game skid versus San Francisco.
However, before the first half concluded, the Rams gave the 49ers an extra possession before halftime, allowing them to get three points on the board. From the moment that San Francisco made the field goal, things began to snowball downhill in the contest for Los Angeles.
The 49ers would make a furious comeback to secure a 27-24 victory over the Rams in overtime, making it six consecutive wins over their NFC West counterparts. Kittle wasn’t wrong about his comments as San Francisco played with more of an edge and bullied Los Angeles on the road.
The setting will be the same this Sunday as the Rams host the 49ers at SoFi Stadium. Only this time around, the loser will be sent home packing while the victor will represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.
While Morris said that the Rams aren’t using Kittle’s previous comments as bulletin-board material for this week’s matchup, he hopes that his defense comes ready to play in a win-or-go-home scenario.