George Kittle’s 44-yard touchdown catch on fourth-and-2 against the Rams would’ve blown the non-existent roof off of Levi’s Stadium. Instead, because of the pandemic, his jaunt into the end zone was met mostly by silence.
This has become the norm for most teams across the NFL with fans either non-existent or very limited in stadiums. Still, even after three consecutive home games with the seats full of eerily silent cardboard cutouts, Kittle hasn’t gotten fully used to the quiet.
“I will say the first couple weeks it was really weird,” Kittle said on the Candlestick Chronicles podcast. “And I hate to say that I’ve kinda gotten used to it, but like, running to the end zone on a fourth down catch, and there’s not an explosion like our fans always do, it’s super weird. I’m mildly used to it, but I would really prefer to have fans in the stands because the Faithful are incredible.”
The State of California has moved to a new phase of re-opening that grants permission to professional sports teams to have limited attendance as long as they meet certain COVID-19 numbers. Counties in the “orange zone” will be allowed 20 percent capacity. Counties in the “yellow zone” can have up to 25 percent of their stadium full.
Ultimately the decision comes down to the specific county though, which is why the 49ers won’t be playing in front of anyone at Levi’s Stadium for the time being. Santa Clara County is not ready to let fans in, although the team said they’re continuing to work with local officials to get people inside to cheer them on as soon as possible.
Kittle left the public health decisions to the professionals, but said he’s hopeful any number of 49ers fans will be back in the near future.
“Whether it’s a full stadium or 10,000 people, they crush it regardless,” Kittle said. “Our die-hard fans are the best. So, I miss them and I hope we can have them soon.”
