George Kittle, 49ers looking to flip script on close-game struggles

The 49ers have been dealing with their own version of a bomb cyclone since they lost the Super Bowl in overtime last season. In four of San Francisco’s five losses this year, the 49ers had a fourth-quarter lead. In three of them, they’ve lost by one score or less, including last week’s setback against Seattle.

With the exception of the 49ers’ 23-20 win at Tampa Bay in Week 10, San Francisco has struggled to close games. And not only is Kyle Shanahan well aware of his team’s struggles, he’s also pointing to Green Bay’s success in that area.

“We’ve had four games here that have come down to the last two possessions and we’ve only won one of those,” Shanahan said Wednesday as the 49ers (5-5) prepare to visit the Packers (7-3) on Sunday (4:25 p.m., FOX). “And that’s the difference between 8-2 and 5-5, with the one we won being Tampa.

“In contrast, you look at a team like Green Bay, they’ve had seven games come down to the last possession and they’ve won six of them, with the only one they lost being the opening game versus Philly. And that’s why they have such a good record.”

That good record is also because the Packers are playing their best football in the fourth quarter.  They’ve outscored opponents by 29 points, 61-32, the fourth-best margin in the league. Their plus-five turnover margin in the final stanza also is tied for third in the NFL. And quarterback Jordan Love has a 101.0 fourth-quarter passer rating, compared to just 87.5 over the first three quarters.

And while the Packers have won several last-possession games, as Shanahan noted, the 49ers beat Green Bay in a 24-21 thriller during the NFC playoffs on Jan. 20. In that game, San Francisco scored 10 unanswered fourth-quarter points to erase a 21-14 lead. Brock Purdy engineered a game-winning, 12-play touchdown drive and Dre Greenlaw intercepted Love to seal the win, leaving the Green Bay quarterback to think about the loss for eight months.

“I think just ending the season, getting into the playoffs, and being knocked out by the 49ers, whoever it would have been, that game is definitely going to sit with you,” Love said Wednesday. “That’s what you’ve got to kind of just sit with all offseason, is going back, watching that game, trying to see what you could have done better, could have done differently in that game.

“It definitely sits with you through the offseason, and then you obviously move on. Just knowing that that’s the team that knocked us out, we’re definitely hungry for this game.”

So is George Kittle. Limited at practice with a hamstring injury, the 49ers tight end on Wednesday declared he would play at Lambeau Field. Including last week’s loss to Seattle, the 49ers are 0-2 without Kittle this season – both losses by three points — and 5-3 with him. Over a longer stretch, the Niners are just 3-11 without Kittle since the middle of the 2020 season.

The bigger factor in Sunday’s game, looming larger than Kittle or close games, might be the availability of Nick Bosa. The former Defensive Player of the Year exited last week’s loss, the turning point in the game, after aggravating a hip injury and missed Wednesday’s practice. Seattle exploited Bosa’s void and found deadly running lanes last week. Green Bay’s rushing attack (149.9 yards per game) ranks fourth in the league, while Packers running back Josh Jacobs (838 yards) ranks third behind Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley.

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