The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Las Vegas Raiders 37-34 in the Week 17 matchup at Allegiant Stadium. Here's what the teams had to say following the contest:
Niners Liners
Head coach Kyle Shanahan on quarterback Brock Purdy's performance in his first comeback win:
"It was great for him. We had to come from behind, especially there at the end. He made a ton of plays today, but there was a number that he missed too and that's the coolest part. There are some that he'd love to have back but it was never one way too much or the other where he was struggling or doing well. There were some mixed plays and to keep coming back and keep attacking, he never got gun shy, he made some real good decisions too and fought it out throughout the whole game and found a way to win."
Shanahan on running back Christian McCaffrey's record-breaking day:
"Christian has done some great things, helping us in the run and pass game. I feel very fortunate to have him."
Shanahan on the game going to overtime:
"For them to keep coming back and have to go into overtime like that, it was so awesome to see Tashaun Gipson Sr. get that pick and take it down. I was very glad that we didn't have to go to another drive."
Shanahan on playing from behind:
"We've got some guys who stuck with it. No one got frustrated, they just kept battling regardless. The Raiders answered so many times but we ended up doing it last."
Running back Christian McCaffrey on his mindset when playing in a close game:
"I just try to stay as poised as possible. Those games are so fun. That's kind of the games you dream about as a kid. It's so back and forth and you have to fight and claw your way back and it was good for us to have that game. Every win is a team win and we'll just keep growing and building off of the mistakes and capitalizing on the things that we did well."
McCaffrey on why winning a close game was important for the team:
"You never know when you're going to be in one of those games again. Obviously, you want to blow every team out but that's not realistic in this league and we need to be battle tested. You need to have your back against the wall so you know how to respond, so you can figure out and find ways and have experience under pressure. I think that's the biggest thing going into the playoffs and a lot of these guys have a lot of experience in those games, so it was good that we got it."
McCaffrey on wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk's impact on the 49ers win over the Raiders:
"Beast mode. He went full beast mode on that last drive and that's who he is, he's a beast. The things that he does are special, especially in crunch time. For him to have a game like that and put our team on his back was awesome because we needed him and he showed up."
Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk on his mindset following the Week 17 win:
"We're still working, trying to keep on building. We see stuff every single week that we can get better at and we're just working towards the ultimate goal."
Aiyuk on the 49ers-Raiders historic rivalry:
"This is my first time playing the Raiders in a regular season game, and it's a January 1st game so it's obviously a huge game. But, just throughout the week talking to people, I had people hitting me up like, 'man you don't even know,' telling me I don't know how serious the rivalry is. I'm like, I think it's pretty important to me too. Just hearing that made me realize that this might be a little bit deeper than I thought. It was super, super, super fun to come down here and get a win when it wasn't very pretty at all."
Tight end George Kittle on winning a close game:
"I love winning by 30 points. But, check your pulse man. That's the NFL. It's football. That's what you live for – those moments where you go out there, in those moments that define your team. You want to win in every single way possible, no matter what the situation is. Put the pressure on and it's way more fun. You love that stress because you're gonna see the guys that are in the huddle. It's a lot easier to do it when you're up 20 points... But when it's just going back and forth and back and forth, it's a good time."
Linebacker Fred Warner on learning from the Week 17 matchup:
"Adversity makes you stronger. And we're as tough as they come. We're gonna take a hard look at it will be better from it."
Warner on what Purdy showed him in the contest against the Raiders:
"He showed me who he has been all along. He has been exactly what we've needed at that position and he has stepped up big time. I can't say enough about Brock and the way that he's played. We're going to need him big time for the rest of the season."
Quarterback Brock Purdy on walking away with a win:
"To come in an environment like this, you feel it at the end of the game. The crowd's going crazy and you have to go out and perform and do your job. I feel like that was great in terms of prepping our offense, defense, special teams, just the whole unit as a whole. It was great just prepping us and getting us ready for what's about to come."
Purdy on the offense's success:
"It just goes back to all the playmakers that we have. Guys like Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, Ray-Ray McCloud III. All I have to do is trust them, trust the game plan and just get the ball to those guys."
Purdy on the amount of 49ers Faithful in the Raiders stadium:
"There were a lot of points in the game where you didn't know where you're at, are you home or away? But overall, the Niners travel well, I think better than anyone in the NFL, it's crazy... It was a great game overall, both fan bases were in it, but, you've got to love the 49ers fan base."
Raiders Quotes
Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels on competing against the 49ers:
"We'll give credit to Kyle and his group. They did as they always do as one of the best teams in the National Football League. It's one of the best coached teams in the National Football League – Kyle, DeMeco Ryans, all of them, they do a really good job. They did a good job today of battling back and finding some things that they could go to as the game wore on. They just made a few more plays than we did, it's disappointing."
McDaniels on what makes the 49ers a challenge:
"It's a really good unit over there with a lot of talented players. Really good offensive line, Kyle does a tremendous job of calling the game. The quarterback, obviously, we know he's a good young player. I thought our guys hung in there for the battle."
Raiders quarterback Jarrett Stidham on what he thought of his first-career start:
"The ball is in my hands every play. I'm the only one that gets a touch every play and unfortunately there were two interceptions in the game and some things I definitely could have done better to win."
