After running for more yards than any quarterback had ever gained in any game in NFL history, 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick said it was a function of the play of his teammates.
“Our offensive line came out and they dominated upfront, so that makes it easy on a quarterback,” Kaepernick said.
The 49ers’ offensive line played well, but lots of quarterbacks have had great offensive lines. No quarterback has ever had as many yards as the 181 that Kaepernick gained on Saturday night. The previous record of 173 yards in a game, set by Michael Vick in 2002, when he scored his famous overtime touchdown against the Vikings, was broken even though Kaepernick didn’t even need to do any running late in the game, once the 49ers’ victory was in hand. (In fact, Kaepernick actually lost two yards on two kneeldowns at the end of the game.)
So doesn’t Kaepernick deserve some individual credit? Not according to Kaepernick himself after the game.
“Our offensive line played great today, they did a lot of things well upfront -- our running backs ran well and our receivers made plays,” Kaepernick said. “It makes it a lot easier on me when other people are making plays.”
Kaepernick knows how to run. And he knows how to say all the right things after the game, too.