Sunday night during the NFC championship trophy presentation, 49ers tight end George Kittle stepped to the microphone and harkened back to an old viral internet video to illustrate his reaction to the team’s 17-point second-half comeback vs. the Detroit Lions.
“They had us in the first half, not gonna lie,” Kittle said through the Levi’s Stadium speakers in reference to a popular high school football interview that has more than 11 million views on YouTube.
The quote from high school football player Apollos Hester saying “they had us in the first half, I’m not gonna lie” has become a popular meme, and Kittle couldn’t wait to unleash it after a 49ers victory.
NFL Films posted footage on Twitter of Kittle telling his teammates during the second quarter that he’d be using the quote when San Francisco came back to win. There’s also a great shot of Kittle encouraging quarterback Brock Purdy while the team was getting blown out early in the game.
“I can’t wait to say ‘they had us in the first half.”‘
Back in the second quarter, @gkittle46 spoke a comeback into existence
@49ers pic.twitter.com/NU8kFCnnXB
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) January 30, 2024
Ideally the 49ers won’t fall behind in the Super Bowl the way they have in their first two playoff games, but rest assured if they do and come back to win, Kittle will be there with a joke to show for it.