The following are select post-game quotes from San Francisco 49ers players following Monday night's 27-23 loss to the New York Giants.
Quotes provided by the 49ers Communications staff.
RB Matt Breida
It seemed like you got off to a really good start. Did you feel like since you got a little extra rest that you were healthier than you've been?
"It definitely helped. It's still not anywhere near where I want to be, but it definitely helped. Hopefully this bye week will get me back to where I was before."
What do you guys need to do on these late game drives to win these games?
"We just have to finish on both sides of the ball. As an offense, I feel like we have to score and as a defense, I feel like we have to stop them. So, it's no one person's fault, it's the whole teams. We just have to come back, grind and put everything together."
Did you get any extra motivation because New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley was your opponent today and just how much focus was on him and how well he's been doing?
"No, honestly I don't pay attention to other players much. I just want to go out there and play football and win, at the end of the day. He's a great player, but my goal wasn't to go out there and play just because he was playing. I wanted to win."
DL DeForest Buckner
Were you able to feel that you guys could put the kind of pressure on New York Giants QB Eli Manning that you planned coming in?
"Their game plan was good. He was getting the ball out fast. They had a game plan to try not to get Eli hit. We tried to mix it up with some pressures."
How difficult was this loss considering the 49ers really seemed to control the game until the end?
"That's been the story of the season. We have to finish. I know we had some calls in the last drive against the defense, but we still need to find a way to make a play. Anybody. I personally need to make a play and try to get pressure on Eli. That's everybody around on all levels. The DB's, the linebackers, the defense. Everybody has to be held accountable. The defense could've won that game for us."
It seemed you faced a lot of double teams tonight. Was that the case?
"Yeah. At the same time you still have to work. You have to find a way."
What's the mood of this team? This is the fourth game you've lost by four or fewer points.
"It's tough, especially the real close ones. It's really tough. Guys just have to stay close, and the guys are. They're not blaming each other. Everybody has to take the blame. They're putting the loss on themselves which they should. We just have to look at the film tomorrow, see what we messed up, get the ball rolling and try to get away a little bit during our bye week coming up."
Do you feel like you are close?
"We definitely are. There are definitely a bunch of games where we just let the other team win. We gave it up. We couldn't find a way to finish the game. We just have to come back tomorrow and his the ground rolling."
WR Marquise Goodwin
How do you feel after a very physical game?
"That is every week. That is the name of the game."
The second time you went down, there were about four trainers out there, were they trying to block you or convince you that you didn't need to go back in--?
"I have no idea. They were saying the same thing that they would say when anybody is on the ground, which is to take your time getting up."
Can you talk about 49ers QB Nick Mullens' performance tonight? The ball he threw to you appeared to be slightly behind you that led to the interception--?
"We just have to do a better job at connecting. I definitely could have alleviated that by just putting the brakes on and catch the ball, body it up. We just have to focus on getting better going forward. Nick did exceptionally well. He had one turnover which was created with me. He did exactly what he was supposed to do. He did his job."
FB Kyle Juszczyk
Were you curious to see how San Francisco 49ers QB Nick Mullens would respond to adversity?
"We were all interested to see how he would respond against some adversity. I thought he did so. He had some nice third down conversions, he had some plays when he stepped into the throw when he was still getting hit. You respect that and you love to see that from your quarterback."
What was Nick's reaction after that first interception? Did he express any frustration?
"No, not really. He seemed to respond really well. He was very encouraging to everyone else. He told everybody we have to stick to it and take one play at a time. He was a great leader out there."
What does it tell you about San Francisco 49ers WR Marquise Goodwin's toughness with him coming in and out of the game?
"The guy is a warrior. We have seen him fight through injury before. It is unfortunate that he has to even experience that. We appreciate him putting his body out there and coming back and giving us a chance to win."
TE George Kittle
Obviously, the record is not what you guys wanted. You lost your starting quarterback and starting running back at the beginning of the season. Can you give us an assessment of the season as a whole and how you guys have done going into this bye week?
"We are 2-8. Obviously, we could be better. This loss stings. It is not fun losing at home on Monday Night and going into a bye. Adversity is what brings a team together. I know how cliché that sounds, but it is true. We are going to bounce back and ball out next game."
You mentioned adversity, tonight is the first time that 49ers QB Nick Mullens had some of that. How do you think he handled that?
"Nick is a stud. He was great. He is a great voice. I love playing with him. I have nothing negative to say about Nick. He has done everything that we have asked of him and more. He is going to keep doing that and keep proving people wrong. He is going to keep slinging it."
With games that you could have won and didn't, what is the level of frustration with this team?
"Having a lead in the fourth quarter, we were up 20-10 in the second half, we had multiple opportunities to end it and we didn't. That is something that we have to figure out. It has happened multiple times this season in big games. If we don't figure it out, it is not going to be a fun season. I think we can figure it out. I love everyone in the locker room. We have a tight locker room. I love playing for coach Shanahan. We are going to fix this and we have the right guys to do it."
T Mike McGlinchey
A lot of guys have talked about how adversity sort of teaches you how to win. At what point does that talking point become old and it becomes time to put up or shut up?
"That's all it comes down to is that we have to finish better. There's nothing you can say other than that. It's not about finding lessons in this. We know what happened tonight. We lost the game. There's no other excuse you can make. We have to finish better. We had the game in our hands the whole second half, and we just couldn't finish. There's no excuse for that. It doesn't matter what lessons are learned. A loss is a loss and we have to get better."
What happened with the false start in the fourth quarter with the lining up in the neutral zone? It looked like the ball was moved at the last second.
"I just have to have a little bit better awareness than that. We were in a two-minute drill at the end of the game. The guys spotted the ball and I lined up on the ball. He then moved the ball. I didn't look back inside because I have [New York Giants LB] Olivier Vernon on the other side and I had to block him. When the ball got moved I didn't notice. It was a tough draw there."
What did you see out of San Francisco 49ers QB Nick Mullens in terms of his composure?
"He was awesome all night. Nothing has changed about Nick Mullens. He's as good as it gets in terms of a dude and in terms of a guy. He was composed the entire game. He's a leader the entire game. He commanded our huddle awesome the entire night. We have to put him in a little bit better position to protect him a little bit better."
In terms of momentum, a couple of times in that game you moved the ball and just pushed it down the field. What does that mean for this team to be able to do consistently what you want to do?
"We know what we're capable of and what we've shown on tape all year. We're an extremely physical front. The five of us I think have done an awesome job. We're up at the top of the NFL in rushing, yards per carry and all those kind of stats. The bottom line is that we didn't get it done when we needed to. We had an opportunity to score a touchdown instead of a field goal, and we didn't move the chains. We put our defense back on the field when we shouldn't have. The five of us will get better there, and the offense will get better there as well. I think we've been doing a great job up front all season. We just have to finish a little bit better."
Can you talk about San Francisco 49ers RB Matt Breida's performance?
"Matt's just as hard-nosed and as tough of a competitor as you can get. He runs so hard. He makes it a lot of fun to block for him. He's a great leader on this football team, and you don't expect anything less than that from Matt Breida to give you everything he's got. He'll do that if he's on one leg. He's that kind of a guy. He's been awesome all year."
CB Richard Sherman
What seemed to be the problem for this team?
"I don't know. We had them at third-and-15. We made some good plays. We stayed in position like we were supposed to be. It's unfortunate with these series of events that went on at third-and-15 and then the next plays. You just try to do your job and hope that guys let them play and they didn't let them play today."
You had a talk with 49ers CB Ahkello Witherspoon after the touchdown. What did you say to him?
"Well, it was a coverage bust. He played it like he was supposed to play it. It was a good call, it should have been a good play and in two-man you have to play it like he played it. When you play two-man, you play two-man and he played two-man. It was unfortunate the way the call came in and we didn't get the right guys on the field and it was just kind of a cluster."
We saw him throw his hands in the air--?
"You shouldn't ever do that. That is like a cardinal rule in football. He is frustrated because it is two-man and you are expecting guys to be where they are supposed to be and we didn't get the personnel in that we needed to on the field."
Richard, you have been on teams that know how to do those little things that help you win. This team is trying to learn how to do those little things. How does that come about?
"It just comes with practice. It comes with executing in practice situations. It is knowing that when you are tired, exhausted and practice is on the line, it's the last period and being able to compete. We do a lot of competition periods in practice but it is early on. It is before guys legs get tired and guys get exhausted, so it is one of those things that just comes with time. It's a young team with young guys. Today I think our guys fought as hard as they could and we just didn't get the benefit of the whistle."
CB Ahkello Witherspoon
How do you assess this one?
"Man, tough loss. We have to be better. We have to come back and get to work. It is definitely tough when you are competing against some of the best guys offensively and you come up short. You want to be better. We have to get back to the drawing board and improve."
You have lost a lot of these close games. Does it get to the point where it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy where you almost expect to lose? What is the mindset?
"The mindset is to come into work every week. Whether you go 1-0 or 0-1 on the week, you still have another week to play the game. That is our approach and there are a lot of people that have that mental stability, that mental capability to do so. We just move on and keep working and get better."
What role has San Francisco 49ers CB Richard Sherman had working with you? What did he say to you after that touchdown?
"He just keeps me level, growing as a player and as a person. He is just pivotal in that progress."
What has the season been for you coming in and out of the lineup?
"The season has been a blessing. Every opportunity I have to play this game is an incredible opportunity for me. I am appreciative of every single second of it."
What can you learn by going up against the kind of receivers you went up against tonight?
"That you can compete and play well against them. Every time you play well against guys like that, you gain more confidence. You just build on it. Next time you see them, you will be better. The next time you see another top guy, you will be better. Just keep improving."
