NFL-49ers' Kittle says sour taste from first loss will fuel team

Oct 27 : San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle said the team will carry the sting of their first loss of the season into their bye week, a mood he believes could help sharpen a battered roster that have built their identity around physical football.

The 49ers returned from Atlanta disappointed with their 29-20 loss to the Falcons on Sunday but encouraged by the prospect of getting several injured players back after the break, Kittle told Reuters in a Zoom interview on Monday.

"Losing is not fun," Kittle said. "But it is really hard to win in football. Everybody's a professional, everybody's talented."

But he said the defeat could give San Francisco a needed edge during the now 6-1 team's time away from the field.

"Instead of, 'Hey, we're going on this bye week, we're just going to go enjoy ourselves, forget about everything,' you're kind of sitting there angry for the entire week," Kittle said.

"And I think that'll be good for our football team."

MOUNTING INJURIES

The loss came as San Francisco have been hit hard by injuries, particularly at wide receiver. 

Kittle said the team had effectively lost all of their training-camp receivers, an unusual strain on an offense that has relied heavily on its remaining playmakers. Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel were among those who were unavailable on Sunday but expected to return in Week Nine. 

Still, the veteran tight end said the 49ers' depth — especially contributions from recent draft classes — has bolstered his confidence that the team can contend for a championship.

"We have young players who are out there making plays," Kittle said, pointing to rookies and younger players rotating along the defensive line and contributing elsewhere on defense.

"We don't have to win every game on the