49ers Notebook: Demarcus Robinson’s monster game; Trent Williams risks injury for his team; George Kittle’s post-injury tequila

There haven't been many playoff wins that have been more satisfying than Sunday's 23-19 road victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, which sent the defending Super Bowl champions into the offseason and sent an aggressive fan base home unhappy.

The last postseason trip to Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia went poorly for the 49ers as they fell 31-7 in a game where they lost quarterback Brock Purdy to an elbow injury. Few people expected them to win this game, and they were greeted with the type of hostile reaction they expected from Eagles fans. But the 49ers got the last laugh, and they enjoyed every minute.

"It was awesome," tight end Jake Tonges said after the game. "On the way in, they were flipping the bird. You've got to love it. You've got to love the atmosphere. There's no better place to come in and get a dub."

So, not surprisingly, the 49ers locker room was a happy one after the game, even though they lost a star tight end and team leader in George Kittle due to a torn Achilles. They don't have much time to celebrate, as they now have to head to Seattle to face the Seahawks in a Saturday Divisional Round game, but for at least one day there was plenty of praise and high-fives as the 49ers celebrated their win. And in the case of Kittle, there was reportedly a bottle of tequila sent his way to help soothe his pain.

We'll have more on that in this version of 49ers Notebook, as well as a look at a huge game from wide receiver Demarcus Robinson, a brave effort from left tackle Trent Williams, and more.

Whatever you need, George

Seeing Kittle carted off the field after tearing his Achilles was a difficult sight for fans and players to see, and it was almost certainly even more difficult for someone who loves being on the field as much as Kittle. It seems understandably like he wanted to drown his sorrows with some alcohol, according to a report from The Athletic's Dianna Russini.

Russini spotted a team employee walking into the locker room with a bottle of tequila after Kittle's injury, which she suspected was for Kittle. She later confirmed that the bottle was not only for Kittle, but it was sent to him by team owner Jed York.

There have been no words from Kittle yet about his injury, but teammates showed plenty of support after the game. And he'll be with them in the days ahead, even if he's not on the field.

"I'm sure he'll be in the meeting room with us this week, encouraging us," Tonges said. "George is always that way when he's not playing. He's on the sideline with us, telling us what we can do better and giving us advice and stuff like that. So he'll be huge."

An all-too familiar sight

Under normal circumstances, the 49ers might have been more shaken by the sight of one of their best players get carted off the field. But, after seeing linebacker and team leader Fred Warner down on the turf with a season-ending ankle injury earlier this season, the 49ers were able to shake this one off more quickly than other teams might have.

"100 percent. We went through that with Fred," Williams said. "I think Bosa's injury was not (as much) on the forefront. He got hurt and I really didn't know until halftime. But seeing Fred lay down and lay there on the ground in the condition he was in, I think it was hard for the team to shake back out of that. And I think that made us stronger for stuff like this. Kittle going down in the first half, I think if we didn't have experience with that, it would have been easy to fold and nobody would have blamed us."

The response the 49ers showed Sunday was what they needed to get through that unwelcome adversity, and they'll have to do it again for as long as they remain in the postseason.

"I talked to him. Told him I'm praying for him. It just sucks," wide receiver Kendrick Bourne said. "The play was kind of weird. It didn't seem like he did anything that crazy. But I just got the news and it sucks. It's kind of the same thing that's been happening all year. And how do we respond as a team? I think we did a good job. He knows we support him and he's supporting us. It just sucks to lose one of your best players, but we've got to keep moving, using his energy while he's off the field and rehabbing."

Risk/Reward

Williams headed into Sunday's game with a bit of an uncertain status after sustaining a hamstring injury in the 49ers' Week 17 win over the Chicago Bears. But he went forward with this week's game, even though there were risks. Williams told reporters Sunday he had a good chance of aggravating the injury if he played against the Eagles, but he played in the game anyway.

"There was a lot of, I wouldn't say mental gymnastics, but it did have an effect on me because I didn't know how long my leg would hold up," Williams said. "I knew I was coming back early and it would have a huge chance of recurring. For me, it was just trying to block that out and go until I can't no more. So yeah, after I won the game it was a sigh of relief, and I'm just super proud of this team."

As long as there was a chance he could play, Williams was going to do so. And it sounds like he'll do it again next week if he has to.

"I definitely wanted to be here for the team even if I couldn't be at 100 percent," Williams said. "I just wanted to go out there and test my limits. It'd be hard for me to sit out a playoff game."

Highlight game for Demarcus Robinson

Wide receiver Demarcus Robinson put up modest stats for the 49ers during the 2025 season, catching 22 passes for 276 yards and one touchdown. But on Sunday, with wide receiver Ricky Pearsall on the sidelines due to knee and ankle issues, Robinson delivered his best game as a 49er when it was needed most.

Robinson finished with six catches for 111 yards and one touchdown, with his biggest impact coming on the opening drive. Robinson caught a 61-yard pass on the second play of the game, then followed it up with his touchdown to give the 49ers a 7-0 lead.

"D-Rob was huge," head coach Kyle Shanahan said. "That play at the beginning of the game, it was big time to finish it with a touchdown. D-Rob stepped it up for us all year."

Robinson knew the 49ers needed players to compensate for the team's injuries, and he was happy to be one of those who stepped up in the clutch.

"It felt good," Robinson said. "We needed to get some guys to step up. I was one of those guys tonight. It felt great. It felt good that coach has trust in me. Throughout the week we practice a lot of those plays. (Brock) Purdy did too. So it felt good to go out and make some plays."

Robinson's teammates were happy to see his shining moment after grinding throughout the regular season.

"That was amazing to see bro come out there," wide receiver Jauan Jennings said. "You know, he works his tail off each and every week, and for him to get that opportunity and seize it, it was huge, and he's been wanting that. And so for him to get it, we all want it for him, and it was a great moment."

Game MVP?

Among those who earned his share of praise on Sunday was defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, whose young and injury-depleted defense found a way to make plays when they were needed most and hold the Eagles to 19 points, even though they had to play with two new starters at linebacker in Eric Kendricks and Garret Wallow.

"He was unbelievable today," Shanahan said. "Just the plan that he put together, keeping it somewhat simple but still challenging. Having new guys in there you got to somewhat keep it simple, but anytime you've got a quarterback (Eagles QB Jalen Hurts) with a running element, all the RPOs they do, the wideouts that they have on the outside, the talent of their running back (Saquon Barkley), their tight end (Dallas Goedert), it was a huge challenge and they did a hell of a job all day with it."

Kendricks, who has been playing with Saleh for just a few weeks after joining the team in late November, told reporters after the game that Saleh was one of the reasons he chose to sign with the 49ers.

"I think it's just the trust he has in us, how we're coached," Kendricks said. "I've been around some great coaches in this league, and I mean there's a reason why I wanted to come to San Francisco as well to play in this defense."

Saleh's name has circulated as a candidate for open head coaching positions. A gut reaction to Sunday's game would be to say his stock went up in that regard, but Shanahan is probably correct in saying it didn't make that much of a difference.

"I don't get why this game would matter," Shanahan said. "I mean, Saleh's that good anyways, so regardless of what happened today or what happens next week, I know it's a matter of time before Saleh's a head coach again."