San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle knows the possibility of playing games without fans in the stands will be a very different experience. His first thought, though, is that it will make certain matchups a whole lot easier.
San Francisco is scheduled to travel to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans and CenturyLink Field in Seattle—typically two very inhospitable locales.
Of course, it would also take away any home-field advantage the 49ers built up at Levi's Stadium last season. The team also learned last year how to bring its own energy to road games, when needed.
Kittle joined WEEI in Boston on Thursday and was asked about the prospect of playing in massive NFL venues without the roar of the crowds. He pinpointed one road game last year that was a learning experience for the 49ers on how to mentally attack a difficult road situation, and it might not be the game you would expect.
"It's going to be on the team to bring that energy," Kittle said on the Ordway, Merloni and Fauria show. "I think it was [Week 6] we played in Washington. It was a complete downpour, and most of the stadium was empty because the weather was so bad. Our team had to make our own energy for that game, so that's just kind of what I thought about (when talking about playing without fans)."
The 49ers won the low-scoring affair 9-0. Fans might remember it more as the game where Nick Bosa initiated a celebration after a sack as he and teammates slid across the soggy and muddy field like joyous children on a Slip 'N Slide.
"It just depends on which team is going to elevate their -- whether it's how loud they are on the sidelines or the communication," Kittle continued. "It's going to be on the team to bring that energy. I think it will allow some teams to rise to the top a little bit quicker than others."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Kittle below.