Sunday was a happy day at Levi's Stadium, as fans got to enjoy a 38-13 49ers victory over the Arizona Cardinals to close the regular season. Fans even let their joy carry over to one of the opposing players, who got a send-off he'll never forget.
We talk about that and much more in this version of 49ers Notebook, which is the final edition of the 2022 regular season. We'll also dive into Nick Bosa's not-so-exciting postgame routine, tight end George Kittle calling for Rookie of the Year consideration for quarterback Brock Purdy, and a particularly awkward moment for an unlucky 49ers fan. Let's get it started...
49ers fans give J.J. Watt a special farewell
Usually 49ers fans aren't going to want to make life happier for opposing players, but they made an exception in J.J. Watt's case on Sunday. And it sounds like Watt will always be appreciative of it.
Watt was playing in his final NFL game after announcing his decision to retire in late December. With the 49ers up late in the fourth quarter, fans began to chant Watt's name as he approached the final minutes of his career. Then they gave him a rousing ovation when he exited the field for the last time during the two-minute warning.
.@JJWatt exits the field for the last time in his career. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/exFxZrCyFd
— NFL (@NFL) January 9, 2023
The moment was not lost on Watt, who began his postgame press conference with some words for the 49ers and their fans.
"I want to thank the 49ers," Watt said. "That was very classy, and their fans -- you don't have to do that. An opposing player in your stadium when you're going to the playoffs, I appreciate them doing that. That was better than I could have expected it to be certainly from that standpoint. I had my wife and son here and my parents here. I wish the game had gone differently in many ways, but I'm thankful and grateful, and I'll always remember it, that's for sure."
Head coach Kyle Shanahan was one of several on the 49ers who showed a heavy amount of appreciation towards Watt after the game.
"The reception was awesome," Shanahan said. "He more than deserved that. It was real cool that he could get that, especially on the road. I was very upset with him all game because he's still unbelievable. He was a problem throughout the game for us in the run game and the pass game. But for it to slow down there at the end, for him to have his moment where he could walk off, I think everyone in this country respects the hell out of him for what he's done on and off the field, and he's an all-time great."
Sunday brought to a close what will surely be a Hall of Fame career for Watt, who finished his time in the NFL with 586 tackles, 114.5 sacks, 27 forced fumbles, and 317 quarterback hits. He had two sacks in his final game, putting him at 12.5 for the season. Watt's performance on Sunday showed he clearly has gas left in the tank at age 33, but that's the way he wants it as he brings his career to an end.
"I said I wanted to go out playing good ball, and I'm playing good ball," Watt said. "I know I still can, I'm just choosing not to. That's all."
Dialed in
Now that the postseason is here, 49ers players will be expected to cut back on any extracurricular activities and live, breathe, eat and sleep football until there are no more games on the schedule. That won't be a problem for defensive end Nick Bosa, who sounds like he's had that level of focus throughout the season.
"I know that I won't do anything different because I've been a hermit for quite some time," Bosa said Sunday.
What exactly does Bosa do after each game? Not a whole lot, apparently.
"I sit on my couch and I fill my Game Ready machine with ice and I prop my legs up," Bosa said. "I watch some shows and I go to bed at 8:30. Then I wake up and I get to work. It's super fun."
There will be plenty of time for Bosa and the rest of the 49ers to enjoy life after the season, but for now, he'll continue to stay in hermit mode. He'll expect others on the team to do the same, even though that shouldn't be a problem for the most part.
"We have to get everybody on board, not that they aren't already," Bosa said. "But we've just got to make sure the young guys who haven't been through it know that this opportunity and this team that you have right now is one that you can't waste."
Unsung hero
Safety Tashaun Gipson has profoundly impacted the 49ers' star-studded defense this season, even though he wasn't even in the picture until the season got underway.
The 32-year-old Gipson was without a team late in the preseason after playing the past two years with the Chicago Bears. But Gipson was a respected safety for much of his career and was named to the Pro Bowl as a member of the Cleveland Browns in 2014 when Shanahan was serving as that team's offensive coordinator.
Shanahan called upon Gipson when the 49ers needed help at the position early in the season when expected starter Jimmie Ward was sidelined due to injury. Then when Gipson was given a chance, he played well enough that it gave the 49ers the luxury of moving Ward to the nickel spot while keeping Gipson at safety. Gipson has shined along the way and led the 49ers with five interceptions, two of which came against the Cardinals on Sunday.
"We wanted to bring him in with depth, we had one of the best safeties in the league last year with Jimmie Ward and then when Jimmie got hurt and we knew there was a chance that his playing time was going to go up and we were glad to get him," Shanahan said Sunday. "I was with Gip in Cleveland, which I think was his rookie or second year and I thought he was such a good player then, I haven't gotten to be with him since then, but just following him his whole career, playing against him in Jacksonville and Chicago and he's been such a good player for a long time. I thought we were very fortunate that he was available when he was and he's come in here and I feel like kind of the wisdom of our defense. I mess around with him, I call him dad sometimes, but he's been so consistent. Always putting the top, the backstop on our defense. He's got great ball skills, he always has. And the biggest thing is it's allowed us to use Jimmie Ward at nickel too."
Gipson probably didn't think he'd be in the position he's in now after struggling to find a team in August. But everything worked out for the best, and he's had a blast along the way.
"It's so humbling because there were a lot of times, and I sit here and my family could attest to it, where I'd be lying to you if I said I didn't lose a little faith sitting at training camp," Gipson said Sunday. "Going into preseason (week) three, I was at home with my kids. It was my first time spending my birthday at home, and I didn't envision being at home on my birthday in August. So to be here now, man, it's just glory to God because I came into the right situation at the right time. And everything just worked out in God's plan.
"I couldn't be around a better group of men, a better group of coaches. This atmosphere here, the family, the organization and just the locker room. They accepted me from day one. It wasn't any ill will or anything like that. [S Talanoa] Hufunga, I truly have love for him, he brought me in, helped me understand the defense, and he took me under his wing. As crazy as it sounds, I'm 10 years older than him, but he truly did. And it's just been a match made in heaven. It's the most fun year of my career and I can truly say that. I've been on some teams where we had a little success, man, but this truly is the most fun year of my career. And, you know, why stop now? We have so much more football left to play. Perfect storybook ending for everybody if we can continue to keep this going."
Gipson probably won't have to look as hard for a team next year after what he's done with the 49ers in 2022. Ward thinks the 49ers should be the team to reward Gipson with a new contract.
"Gipson just made himself a lot of money," Ward said. "...He can tackle, he can make open field tackles, he can catch the ball. You see how good of a ball hawk he is. He's a great safety and he fits with his defense. So the 49ers should pay him because he's leading the team in interceptions right now. He's a playmaker back there and that's what we need."
Love for Damar
The NFL has been united over the past week in its support for Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin, who remains hospitalized after collapsing and going into cardiac arrest in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night. Hamlin has made remarkable progress since then and was able to watch from his hospital bed while the Bills beat the New England Patriots 35-23 on Sunday.
There was an emotional moment in that game when Nyheim Hines returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown -- the first Bills play since the postponement of Monday's game. The 49ers had their eye on that game as well and were happy to see the result after having Hamlin in their thoughts throughout the week.
"It was emotional watching the Buffalo game," Shanahan said. "I got to see some of that this morning. I thought it was so cool watching the national anthem. Those are his brothers. This league's a fraternity so everyone related to it and it was so hard watching that, especially on Monday night when no one knew what was going happen and it's turned into such a happy story. The fact that he got out of that with where we thought it was, so guys have been real positive with it and happy for the situation the last couple days. But watching Buffalo, you could see the emotion and it was unbelievable to see that opening kickoff return and just the timing of it and that was a real special moment, I think for the league and for everyone to see. Just humans in general."
Purdy for Rookie of the Year?
Has Brock Purdy done enough to warrant consideration for the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year award? Tight end George Kittle certainly thinks so.
Purdy finished the regular season without a loss as a starter after taking over for the injured Jimmy Garoppolo (ankle) on December 4. Purdy completed 67.1 percent of his passes as a rookie for 1,374 yards, 13 touchdowns, and four interceptions. Even though he spent much of the season on the bench, Purdy's strong finish has gotten him some attention as a rookie of the year candidate.
"I don't know how he's not," Kittle said. "He hasn't lost. He's put up great numbers. He doesn't have very many turnovers. He has touchdowns. He has passing yards. And he's on a hot streak. So I think Brock should 100 percent be in that conversation. I know other guys played the entire season, but for a rookie quarterback to come in play the way that he has, that's pretty special, and I don't really know anyone else who has played at a level he's played at."
As of Week 18, Purdy was third in Offensive Rookie of the Year odds behind running back Kenneth Walker of the Seahawks and wide receiver Garrett Wilson of the Jets. Not playing the entire season will likely cost Purdy any chance of winning the award, but he's certainly won the respect of his teammates and is in a great position to still be playing while other contenders will be watching from home.
"Like a lot of guys on our team, (Purdy is) always finding ways to get better, not being satisfied," Bosa said. "As a last pick in the draft, third-string quarterback coming in, his focus is as good as anybody's. He's becoming a leader."
Clean sweep
Sunday's win over the Cardinals brought with it a nice bonus for the 49ers -- a 6-0 regular sweep over their NFC West opponents this season. It marked the fifth time in team history that's happened, which was a turnaround after some of the challenges the 49ers faced in the division over the past few years.
"It's awesome because I feel like this is one of the strongest divisions in the NFL and I think last year we struggled in the division, even though we made the playoffs," fullback Kyle Juszczyk said Sunday. "So I think that says a lot when you can go out there and beat teams that know you better than anybody else. They see you twice a year, sometimes three like last year. So for us to do that, I think it means a lot."
But, as it turns out, the 49ers aren't done with the NFC West this season just yet. Detroit's win over the Green Bay Packers put the Seattle Seahawks in the playoffs, which means the 49ers will be hosting the Seahawks next weekend.
Another moment from The Faithful
In addition to giving J.J. Watt a moment to remember, 49ers fans also gave a warm welcome on Sunday to Kittle's grandmother, who was in attendance at a game for the first time after turning 100 years old two days before. 49ers fans put a smile on her face with a rendition of Happy Birthday earlier in the game, much to the appreciation of Kittle.
.@LevisStadium sang happy birthday to George Kittle grandma on her 100th birthday! 🥳 pic.twitter.com/dfWIZZWS5n
— 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙎𝙁𝙉𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙨 (@TheSFNiners) January 8, 2023
"That was awesome. You kidding me? First NFL game for my grandma, 100 years old on Friday. The stadium sings happy birthday to her, so shoutout to Levi's Stadium. The Faithful are fantastic... I don't get to see her too often. She's back in Iowa. But to get her out here, to enjoy a game and score for her and she gets one of those footballs, it's going to be really special. And I know my mom had a great time too."
There was an attempt
Here's a scene from after Sunday's game that could have been scary, but instead turned out to be just a little embarrassing for the fan who was involved.
When Brock Purdy walked off the field after the game, he threw what appeared to be a towel into the stands for a fan to take home as a souvenir. One fan made a dive for the towel but wound up tumbling over the railing and onto the field instead.
Brock Purdy has fans falling out of the stands 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/2p7xukp14d
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) January 9, 2023
The fan took a spill but seemed to be okay after rising to his feet. It appears as if another fan came away with the towel.
