Kyle Shanahan happy his players are motivated to prove doubters wrong on national TV

The San Francisco 49ers' October 21 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams was flexed out of primetime this week in favor of Cincinnati Bengals versus Kansas City Chiefs.

"It's definitely an insult, kind of a slap in the face," said defensive lineman DeForest Buckner on Thursday via Brad Almquist of KNBR.

Tight end George Kittle is eager to step foot on the primetime stage against the Green Bay Packers on Monday night to silence the team's critics. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN.

What does head coach Kyle Shanahan think about his players using the demotion from one primetime slot as motivation? He was asked that question on Friday during a KNBR interview.

"I'm not there yet because we're on primetime this week," Shanahan said on the "Tolbert & Lund" show. "By the time I get there next week, I'm sure that will hit me. I'm happy to hear that from our players. I know me personally, and I hope our players, that when people are doubting you and people don't think you can do something, I think that motivates people. I know it motivates me and that makes you want to perform better, and it really makes you want to prove people wrong.

"If you're going to do that, I'd rather do it in front of the whole country, and not just California. So I love the fact that we're on a primetime game and I love that we're going to Lambeau.

"I know (with) our record and everything, and some of our injuries, people are counting us out. But I think I'd much rather do this on national TV than just local TV because we believe we can get this done. We're going there with that mindset, and if it's something that we pull off, I'd love everyone to watch it."

You can listen to the entire conversation with Shanahan below.