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This team will drive you insane if they haven’t already. The San Francisco 49ers continued their “we’re going to give our fans a heart attack” theme up Saturday night after beating the Rams 34-31. NFL Network’s Peter Schrager said head coach Kyle Shanahan gave a chilling, emotional speech in the 49ers locker room. Shanahan discussed the meaning of “team” and the importance of the bonds they share in light of the tragic loss of C.J. Beathard’s brother Clayton earlier this weekend.
To a man, each player after the game said the same thing. After a win or a loss, emotions are running high. Every media member that was in the locker room repeated that it was one of the more emotional locker rooms they’ve been in. Players choked up and were moved to tears when discussing Beathard’s family. George Kittle said, “that one was definitely for C.J. and his family.” Kittle knew Clay close, and said, “he was a lot like me, a bundle of joy.”Shanahan opened his presser up by paying tribute to Beathard: “They had heavy hearts. People on this team really respect C.J. and his family.”
Mike McGlinchey on Beathard losing his brother: “We didn’t really address it much until after the game. But Kyle told us that he had met with C.J.... And the last thing (Beathard) said is, you better get this win. And you know--thank God we did, that’s all I can say about it.”
The 49ers have a strong brotherhood, and Saturday’s performance reflected that. They made mistakes on both offense and defense, but they stuck with each other and found a way to come out ahead. It was another battle-tested victory for a team that has been forced to prove themselves weekly. There’s one more regular-season test, and it’s for all the marbles.
Seven takeaways from a wild win over the Rams (Madson)
49ers’ Super Bowl flight hitting just a bit of choppy air (Ostler)
49ers push back Rams’ boot in enthralling, last-second win (KNBR)
‘Today was absolutely terrible’: 49ers mourn for Beathard family after walk-off win over Rams (Inman)
Rams at 49ers final score: San Francisco tops Los Angeles in wild game on Robbie Gould field goal at buzzer (CBS Sports)
WATCH: Jimmy Garoppolo makes big-time throw to George Kittle for TD (Madson)
Analysis: With Rams eliminated, Seahawks-49ers Week 17 showdown almost certainly will decide NFC West (Seattle Times)