Observations from 49ers season-extending win vs. Rams
The 49ers overcame a 17-0 first-half deficit and punched their ticket to the playoffs with a 27-24 victory over the Rams at SoFi Stadium.
What a game. Here’s our observations from a wild one at SoFi Stadium:
First quarter
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– Great coverage from Emmanuel Moseley on a third-and-12, but a better throw by Matthew Stafford and catch by Odell Beckham Jr. gives the Rams a first down. The 49ers cannot let them convert these long third downs.
– Slot cornerback Dontae Johnson got beat bad on another third down. The result is a 46-yard pickup for Cooper Kupp. That’s a bad matchup for San Francisco.
– Huge stop in the red zone by the defensive line. San Francisco’s front dominated on the first series. Arik Armstead and Arden Key each got home for a sack on a third down that forced a 43-yard field goal by the Rams to put them ahead 3-0. Overall not a bad series for the 49ers’ defense, they just have to get off the field on third down.
– Jimmy Garoppolo looks like Jimmy Garoppolo. His first two throws were darts on the money to George Kittle and Trent Sherfield.
– The 49ers took a shot on third-and-8 to JaMycal Hasty and the defender made a nice play to get a hand in and force the incompletion.
End of first quarter: Rams 3, 49ers 0
Second quarter
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– Kentavius Street opened the second quarter with a huge run stop for a loss. He has to show up in the pass rush too.
– Matthew Stafford is 9-9 for 115 yards to start. The 49ers have no answers.
– Easy touchdown for the Rams on a fourth-and-1 from the 2. Play action and TE Tyler Higbee snuck out and nobody covered him. It’s 10-0 Rams and this one might get ugly in part because the 49ers can’t get off the field on third down. LA is already six-for-eight on third downs.
– Disaster. Garoppolo on first down after the touchdown fumbles because he wouldn’t unload a throw down the field. The 49ers recovered but now it’s second-and-24. Brutal.
– Now a sack. It’s third-and-27. This is heinous.
– Third-and-27 run goes backward. It’s fourth-and-28, and Wishnowsky’s punt is returned 31 yards. The Rams are back in the red zone. Embarrassing for San Francisco.
– Ambry Thomas with good coverage on Higbee, but the tight end uses his size and gets up over the rookie for a TD and the rout is on. 17-0, Rams.
– Garoppolo is back out with the offense. They have minus-3 yards in their first two series.
– Screen to Kittle goes backwards. Minus-5 yards. It was nearly intercepted.
– Now an interception on a deep throw. They cannot keep rolling him out there. This is bad.
– Another big sack. This time it’s Nick Bosa and Armstead combining for a third-down stop. The Rams are punting with 45 seconds left. If San Francisco finds points, they also get the ball after the half.
– It’s Garoppolo again. His first throw is a dart to Brandon Aiyuk for 19 yards. It’s their longest play of the game.
– Now another one to Aiyuk for 26 yards. It looked like the same play. Robbie Gould drills a 42-yard field goal to cut the lead to 17-3 and San Francisco gets the ball at the start of the second half. Those are three big points.
End of second quarter: Rams 17, 49ers 3
Third quarter
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– Nice find by Garoppolo on third down to extend their opening drive of the second half. He stepped up with Aaron Donald bearing down on him and found Hasty for a first down.
– Deebo Samuel is unbelievable. Third-and-2, he runs it 16 yards on a straight handoff for a touchdown. Sweet block by Jauan Jennings. That makes it 17-10. What a turnaround.
– Well-timed blitz by defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans forces an incompletion by Stafford on third down after the touchdown. It’s a three-and-out. That’s an enormous stop.
– Hasty, Mitchell and Samuel are all running with a ton of purpose. It’s all runs after the Rams punt.
– TRICKERY! A Deebo Samuel touchdown pass to Jauan Jennings (you read that right) ties the game at 17. That was the only throw on the 10-play scoring drive. Kyle Shanahan is in his bag.
– Matthew Stafford has arrived. On a third-and-long he airs out a deep shot into double coverage where Emmanuel Moseley hauled it in for an interception. Great coverage by the CB. Jaquiski Tartt was there as well. The 49ers defense is rolling.
– Bad drop by Aiyuk on second down. He’s having a nice game, but if he hauls that in the 49ers are in great field position. They eventually punted.
End of third quarter score: 49ers 17, Rams 17
Fourth quarter
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– The 49ers pass rush is rolling.
– Oof, Stafford on third-and-10 drills one in to Van Jefferson for 24 yards. Bosa was half a step late on the rush.
– Sheesh, Stafford has eluded three or four sacks in one series. He keeps sneaking out and just getting rid of it for incompletions.
– There they got home. Key and Fred Warner got in to combine for the sack. This pass rush is incredible.
– Screen to Samuel and he somehow finds 32 yards down to the Rams’ 33. He’s been an unreal player this year.
– What a play by Jalen Ramsey to intercept Garoppolo deep in Rams territory. That’s a game-changer and one of the most impressive plays you’ll ever see. Officials missed a roughing the passer call.
– Unreal catch now by Kupp. The Rams stars are showing out. Jimmie Ward had great coverage, but Kupp made an awesome catch.
– Yikes. Bad, bad penalty on Greenlaw. A run was stacked up for no gain and he ripped at the facemask of RB Cam Akers for a 15-yard penalty. Inexcusable play.
– TD to Kupp. Predictable and easy. 24-17, Rams. That Garoppolo INT set up the score. Rough.
– Colton McKivitz lets Von Miller run past him for a sack on third down. The 49ers will punt, but they have all three timeouts.
– A Rams run on third-and-7 gets stopped and the 49ers have life.
– Wow! Aiyuk for 21 yards, then Samuel for 55 yards. They’re at the 14 with 35 seconds left. Nice work by Garoppolo.
– JENNINGS AGAIN! IT’S A TIE GAME! He found a hole in the middle of the Rams’ zone and walked in for his second TD of the game. It’s 24-24.
– Arik Armstead ends regulation with a sack — his second of the game. Huge game for him and the defensive line.
End of regulation score: Rams 24, 49ers 24
Overtime
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– OT starts with Garoppolo firing one through Samuel’s hands. He might’ve had a touchdown if the receiver hangs on.
– Jennings again! He’s up to five catches for 85 yards after rumbling for 34 yards deep into Rams territory. What a game for him.
– Another conversion to Jennings on third-and-4. Unbelievable.
– Bad effort from the 49ers inside the 10. Two runs and a short throw to Kittle go nowhere. The clock keeps running, but they’ll have to play some defense. The Rams used their final timeout with 2:48 left. Gould’s 24-yard try was good and the 49ers lead 27-24 with 2:45 left.
– Third-and-10 incompletion is nullified by an Moseley holding call. Don’t think he needed to grab a hold of Kupp.
– AMBRY THOMAS INTERCEPTION ENDS IT! THE 49ERS ARE GOING TO THE PLAYOFFS.
Final score: 49ers 27, Rams 24
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