SANTA CLARA -- The 49ers’ 285 rushing yards Sunday exemplified the selfless nature of their offense.
That ground attack, led by Raheem Mostert's 220 yards on his own, set a record for most rushing yards in a conference championship game as the 49ers cruised to a 37-20 win over the Green Bay Packers at Levi's Stadium.
The 49ers' offensive skill players might be the most enthusiastic group of run blockers in the league. Every player does his part from tight end George Kittle to receiver Emmanuel Sanders to the offensive line.
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Jimmy Garoppolo had only eight passing attempts for 77 yards over the course of the game that punched the 49ers' ticket to Super Bowl LIV. The 49ers QB completed six of those passes to four different players, who all took turns blocking in the 42 remaining plays that occurred on the ground.
Deebo Samuel landed at the top of the stat sheet with two receptions for 46 yards. The rookie wideout also was lead blocker on Raheem Mostert’s second touchdown of the game, and understands that each of them doing their part is what makes the 49ers so successful.
“I mean, I think our mentality is, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,’” Samuel said. “I ain’t got no problem going out there and being scrappy with the defense and blocking for the running back. They do it for us when we have a pass thrown down.”
Even Sanders has found enjoyment in playing his part in the run-blocking scheme. His lack of receiving numbers has played no importance with his happiness since his arrival in Santa Clara.
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“Yes, I only had one target, and I’m not upset with that,” Sanders said. “I told myself, if I’m not going to get the ball, I might as well go out here and be a bully. I kind of turned into a bully, I started to enjoy blocking. Sometimes I actually like that aspect of it.
“When they brought me over here, they knew what is in my heart. They know I am going to be an incredible teammate and I am going to do whatever I have to do to help this team win. If it is going in and blocking, and if it is playing special teams, whatever I got to do, I am here to help.”
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Kittle, who takes pride in his run blocking, admitted his goal for the offense would be to have even more rushing attempts in a single game. The 49ers have made headlines with 47 carries in the divisional round and 42 in the championship game.
“We had guys everywhere stepping up the entire season,” Kittle said. “And, when we get to finish it on something like that where, I don't know, how many rushes did we have?”
When someone in the auditorium announced that the total was 42 carries, Kittle lit up with an ear-to-ear grin.
“That's awesome. I could have gone for 50.”
Programming note: NBC Sports Bay Area feeds your hunger for 49ers Super Bowl coverage with special editions of “49ers Central” all week (5:30 p.m. Monday and Wednesday; 8:00 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday; 6:00 p.m. Friday)