San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (Imagn Images) George Kittle has never hidden how much the San Francisco 49ers vs Los Angeles Rams rivalry means to him. It shows in the way he talks, and more clearly, in the way he plays. Earlier in the 2025 season, the 49ers edged the Rams 26 to 23 in overtime on the road, a bruising win that revealed their edge. Weeks later, the Rams answered back with a 42 to 26 statement at Levi’s Stadium.Those swings capture what this matchup has become. For Kittle, it is not just about standings. It is personal history. He arrived in 2017 when the balance of power leaned heavily toward Los Angeles. Losses piled up. Lessons did too. Over time, they shaped how he approaches these games and what they demand from him and the team.
George Kittle reveals why Rams rivalry drives his intensity
George Kittle traces the edge back to his early seasons, when the Rams set the standard under Sean McVay. “I don’t know, the Rams week is just because when I first got in the league, they were the best team in the division, easily,” Kittle explained on NBC Sports Bay Area. “And I think we lost our first four games to them or something like that, or three games to them. And so, it just always made me want to beat them. And every single time I ever play them, I always want to beat them.”
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His feelings stretch beyond one opponent. “The Seahawks and the Cardinals are always they’re up there,” he said, referencing the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals. He added with a laugh, “Division rivals are always up there, just because we play them twice a year, and for some reason, my wife (Claire) hates all three of them, which I just love that out of her. I think her and [49ers kicker] Eddy [Piñeiro] both hate them, and I’m not entirely sure the reason, but they both hate them.”But the Rams bring something else out of him. “It probably started in 2019,” Kittle said. “The only way to beat these guys, because they’re always athletic, they’re always talented, they always got a great scheme, they always got a great offense, and the only way to beat them is just to mentally say, screw it. I’m going to be really violent and physical.”Now the longest tenured player drafted by San Francisco, Kittle carries that mindset into every meeting. He understands what these games represent. Not just for him, but for the city stitched across his chest.