The San Francisco 49ers bounced back in Week 11 with a 36-26 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. The 49ers swept the Cardinals for the first time since the 2013 season following the roller coaster victory. Here's what both locker rooms had to say following the Week 11 matchup.
Niners Liners
Kyle Shanahan on his overall impressions of the game:
"A lot of ups and downs in that. There were definitely some good things and there were some really bad things. It actually reminded me a lot of Monday night. To where there were some things we got very excited about and then it felt like you blew it a number of times to where you kind of get crushed. The guys were just resilient and just kept coming. We were able to finish out the right way unlike we did last week. Two similar games like that and by no means was it perfect, but real proud of the guys how they just kept fighting. Found a way to get it done."
Shanahan on the having Jeff Wilson Jr. on the field to catch the game-winning touchdown:
"That was the route we liked him on. Something that we worked out with him in the week. All of our guys are capable of doing it, but you try to do it how you practice it in the week. It was nice that we had enough time afterwards so we could make the decision to get the sub in. It was neat watching him just because that was the play we were calling as long as we got the first. When they were reviewing it and watching Jeff do high knees in the huddle, trying to get warmed up for the route. Glad he had the time to get loose, because we got it versus the right look and he beat it versus zero and good job by Jimmy Garoppolo retreating because they brought a lot more than we could block. The O-Lline gave him enough time and Jeff did his job perfect on it."
Shanahan on the performance of Ross Dwelley in place of George Kittle:
"Ross has been great. He's been great all year. He was unbelievable stepping up, taking over for Kyle Juszczyk when "Juice" was out and he's been great stepping up for Kittle when he's been out. Ross has been one of the better football players on our team this year and doesn't get a lot of accolades because he's not going to sit there and get a bunch of explosive plays, but he's as good of a football player as we've got going right now."
QB Jimmy Garoppolo on his confidence level throwing to Deebo Samuel:
"He's one of those guys you love to have in your foxhole. He just gets banged up out there, keeps coming back, doesn't even question it or anything. He's a fighter, man. You love having guys like that on your team."
Garoppolo on what Dwelley brings to the offense:
"He's kind of the Swiss Army Knife in our offense right now. He does a little bit of everything, lines up split out at receiver sometimes, so you've got to tip your hat to him. He's had a lot on his plate the last however many weeks just with guys being down. He doesn't even hesitate. He just attacks it, gets the formation and goes out there and performs. When his number is called, he does a great job."
CB Richard Sherman on Samuel's fearlessness as a wide receiver:
"He's fearless. Deebo Samuel is fearless. He'll run through any catch. You get some receivers running across the middle and they're looking for who's going to hit them. Deebo is looking for who he's going to hit. That's a much different mentality from most people. It's almost like you expect him to break the tackle when he catches the football. It takes a tremendous amount of trust in your quarterback. A tremendous amount of trust in your abilities to be able to play like that. Some of the plays they're drawing up is him running into traffic. It's him running into a safety who's breaking and it could be a huge hit and he's not wincing, he's not crunching up, he's running through, catching the ball and keeps going. That's fearlessness that can't be coached, that can't be taught. You either have it or you don't."
Sherman on what he learned about the team's resolve after Week 11:
"Just that the situation is never too big for them. This is arguably Jimmy Garoppolo's best game and he carried us down the stretch. He made plays, I think he threw for over 400. Defensively, we kept them in the game. We kept making plays when we needed to. We kind of wilted on one of those drives, just a few mistakes but all things that you can coach up and you can correct. There aren't any egregious errors like there were the first time we played them. I think we did a great job of containing (Kyler Murray) for the most part but he's a good player. He's going to make some plays. I think he threw for 130 yards, 140 yards and he ran for probably close to 100, but that's what you're going to get with him. I think we stayed in coverage. I think the D-line hunted when they needed to. I think DeForest Buckner got a sack, Arik Armstead got a sack, Dee Ford got a sack, so guys were penetrating, guys were getting pressure and that's the kind of game you've got to play."
DL DeForest Buckner on the defensive line getting to Kyler Murray:
"Yeah, especially going against guys who are faster than me and things like that. I like to think I act game speed. I ran like a five-flat in the 40 in the combine. So yeah, knowing that guys are faster than me, I just take certain angles and try and cut them off and leverage the tackle."
Buckner on doing Ronald Blair III's signature celebration after his sack:
"Yeah man, I love Ron. He's a brother to me. We've been roommates. We were drafted together. We're family and just not having him out there hurts inside. He means a lot to everybody on the D-Line and everybody on the team. He's one of the leaders, one of the quiet leaders on the team. Having the opportunity, it was just awesome."
TE Ross Dwelley on being ready when the team calls upon him:
"I just try to be myself every day. It was nice having a week to prepare for the fullback role. Like, I said you have full support of the guys who you are filling in for with Kyle Juszczyk and George Kittle. Our team is special."
WR Deebo Samuel on Sherman's comments about him being 'fearless':
"It is just a mentality I always played with growing up. The mentality that not one guy is going to bring me down."
Samuel on his acrobatic catch in the third quarter:
"You catch the ball with your eyes and your hands and without that you wouldn't be able to track the ball. I never lost focus of the ball and went in and made the play."
DL DaMontre Moore on his emotions coming off the field after the victory:
"Yes, it definitely was. To have this long journey, I am 27 and blessed enough to say that I am going into my seventh year. I have had all of these ups and downs in my career, like my dad always say, it is not how you start, it how you finish. The fact that this team took the opportunity on me knowing everything about me and still wanted me to come out here to play, work and then to bring me back later on, I just can't say enough good things. To experience all of this from an injury and being out all of these weeks wondering if this is really the end of my career, it is always emotional. One thing on my journey that I have realized is that I have to give thanks to god. It was so emotional."
Cardinals Quotes
Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury recaps the game:
"I'm just disappointed. It's a very good football team. We had some opportunities and didn't take advantage of them."
Kingsbury on Chandler Jones' job on the 49ers game-winning score:
"Chandler Jones did a good job getting loose and they made a nice play, had a really good play call into that, and you've got to give them credit for executing that junction."
QB Kyler Murray on his emotions after the game:
"I'm used to winning. I've always won. To be in situations where you go up 16 or are in position to win, and you should win, is disappointing."
Murray on not being able to put the 49ers away after jumping out to a 16-0 lead:
"We just didn't execute good enough. They kind of came back before that half was over and held the ball from us a little bit. Then they got the ball back after the half and scored. We were right there to win it. It just came down to the last couple of drives. We got that interception and just didn't finish."
WR Larry Fitzgerald on if he believes that young teams can learn to win:
"You definitely have to. There are plays throughout the course of that game that of course you would love to have back. In pivotal moments, you just have to be able to say, 'You know, this is a learning experience. We need to fix this or fix that.' That's something that comes with experience. When you have prolific playmakers like we have that are young guys, like Kyler Murray and WR Christian Kirk, they can learn from these moments and grow and get better as we move forward."
LB Chandler Jones on the Cardinals defensive performance:
"We just have to grow. If you are watching these games and look at the film, we are right there. It can be tough the closer the games are. The last time we played the San Francisco 49ers they beat us by three points. It's tough, but I will not use the word frustrating. We're not frustrated. We'll be all right. We see our potential and what we need to do out there and that's what hurts the most. We had this game. Just look at the first half."
