San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle. Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

George Kittle: Lions are bringing 'huge wave of momentum' into NFC title game

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated 1/23/24

The San Francisco 49ers know something about the NFC Championship game. They've been there quite a few times before, so for a player like tight end George Kittle, this is just another step on the road to the Super Bowl.

That's not to say the Detroit Lions will be overwhelmed by their matchup with the 49ers next weekend, but it's worth noting that this will be relatively new territory for the franchise.

Until this magical run, the Lions' last playoff win was in January 1992. That's also the last and only other time the franchise made it to the NFC Championship game. On January 12, 1992, the Lions lost to Washington, 41-10, at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium

Yes, this is a big spot that Detroit is not used to, but Kittle, for one, is not counting the Lions out. In fact, he knows the type of tough opponents Dan Campbell's Lions will surely be.

"I'm not surprised at all. Not at all," Kittle said when asked by A.J. Hawk (on the Pat McAfee Show) if he was surprised Detroit has made it this far in the NFC playoffs. "The way that they play, you can just tell everything Dan Campbell preaches is what the team is. It's not fake. They're gritty. They're going to out-work you. They're going to out-effort you. They're going to put everything on tape."

"I'm not surprised at all that the Detroit Lions are here..

They have a phenomenal team and they're playing at a high level" ~ @gkittle46 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/Apy3D2Qmw6
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 23, 2024

Kittle explained that as far as San Francisco's tight end group is concerned, they go into every game with the mindset that they will out-hustle the hardest-working players on the other team.

The five-time Pro Bowl tight end revealed that he sees a lot of that mindset in the Lions. He also praised many of their players, especially on offense, so this is clearly not a team that he's taking lightly.

Not only do they work hard and have talent, but they are also playing with a mission. To Kittle, that's a dangerous factor heading into this weekend's matchup.

"They're hot. They're on a roll right now, and when you have momentum and you're playing for that city of Detroit — you can see and feel the energy in that stadium — that is a huge wave of momentum that they're bringing with them to California," Kittle said.

Detroit has a ton of momentum, but it's worth noting that the oddsmakers still favor San Francisco. The 49ers are a seven-point favorite at home, per FanDuel.

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