Since their Week 6 meeting, both teams have gone in opposite directions with the 49ers winning only one of four games and the Rams winning three of four. But as usual, strange things tend to happen when division rivals meet which was once again the case on Sunday. In what was a lackluster first half by both teams which featured a combined four first quarter turnovers and a total of five in the first half, each team struggled on offense as the defenses took centerstage. Making their presence felt early on, the aforementioned trio of Samuel, Mostert and Sherman each made a difference in the game's opening quarter. After a San Francisco three and out to open the game, the 49ers pounced on a Malcolm Brown fumble in enemy territory, but were unable to do anything with it as Niners QB Nick Mullens had his pass tipped into the air by defensive stalwart Aaron Donald and intercepted by the Rams defense. L.A. would strike first on a 48-yard field goal by Matt Gay, but the lead would be short-lived as the San Francisco offense wasted little time to answer with a score of their own. Thanks to receptions of 33 and 26 yards by Deebo Samuel, Raheem Mostert was able to put the Niners on the board and into the lead with an 8-yard touchdown.
Seeing his first live action on the field since suffering a calf injury in Week 1, cornerback Richard Sherman provided a jolt on defense with his first interception of the season on an errant pass from Rams quarterback Jared Goff. Happy to have Sherman back in the lineup, the 49er defense didn't have long to celebrate the return of their veteran leader as the offense gave the ball right back one play later when backup running back Jeff Wilson Jr. fumbled the ball away. With both teams combining to exchange six consecutive punts, the 49ers would get another chance at adding some points on the scoreboard just before the half when the defense forced a fumble on the quarterback. But a 50-yard field goal attempt in the final seconds of the first half by 49ers kicker Robbie Gould would end up wide-right as San Francisco was forced to settle for their 7-3 halftime lead. With the Rams owning the best second half defense in the league, the 49ers knew they'd have to do much better than scoring only seven points in the second half if they wanted to escape L.A. with a victory. Two plays into the third quarter, San Francisco would get some much needed help on the scoreboard thanks to their defense as Goff was pressured in the pocket and threw a pass that was intercepted and taken to the house by rookie Javon Kinlaw, the first of his career.
With another field goal at the 4:35 mark in the third quarter, the 49ers jumped out to a 17-3 lead. But things would begin to go sour as the Rams found themselves right back in it after a field goal and a fumble returned for a touchdown as L.A. scored 10-points in six seconds. Following a 49ers three and out, Rams rookie running back Cam Akers began to steal the show as he broke for a 61-yard run on L.A.'s first play of the drive before finding the end zone from a yard out just two plays later. Quickly erasing San Francisco's 17-3 lead, the Rams suddenly found themselves ahead, 20-17 at the start of the 4th quarter. After both teams exchanged punts, the 49ers would tie things up at 20-all thanks to Robbie Gould's 44-yard field goal with 3:15 remaining in regulation. Needing a stop on defense, the 49ers would get just that with 2:10 remaining. Facing a 3rd and 2, Nick Mullens connected with Deebo Samuel on a 24-yard gain that put them across midfield. Inching closer to victory with a series of short passes and runs, the 49ers were ready to put the game in the hands of Robbie Gould who was setting up for a 47-yard field goal to win it. Instead, he would receive a gift in the form of a 5-yard penalty on L.A.'s Jalen Ramsey who was whistled for offsides. Making things easier for the former Pro Bowl kicker, Gould split the uprights from 41-yards out for the game-winning field goal. With the 23-20 victory, the 49ers completed the season sweep of the Rams and improved to 5-6 on the year, while also dealing a blow to the Rams who fell to second place in the NFC West with the loss.
While it wasn't a pretty win by any stretch of the imagination, the 49ers still managed to get the job done, mainly with their makeshift defense which forced the Rams to punt a total of seven times, the most punts by L.A. this season. Continuing their recent dominance of the Rams, the 49ers are now 5-3 against L.A. since 2017. An impressive record considering no other team has defeated the Rams more than twice in that span. While neither quarterback put up gaudy numbers on the stat sheet as Nick Mullens and Jared Goff threw for 252 and 198 yards respectively, one player who did outshine the rest on offense was receiver Deebo Samuel who caught a game-high 11 passes for 133 yards in his first game back after missing the previous three games with a hamstring injury. Most impressive: 83 of Deebo's 133 yards occurred after contact which are the most yards after contact by a wide-receiver in a game this season.
Week 13 Preview - As if the 49ers haven't had enough issues to deal with this season with the countless amount of injuries and multiple failed Covid tests, the team is now being forced to play their next two home games elsewhere due to new Covid-related restrictions in Santa Clara County. The strict regulations which prohibit any and all contact sports for the next three weeks, were learned about on Saturday while the team was traveling to L.A. to face the Rams. Luckily, it was another division rival of the 49ers who were kind enough to lend a helping hand as Kyle Shanahan's team will be hosting each of their next two home games in the desert at State Farm Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals. First up in the 49ers' new home away from home will be a tough assignment against the first-place Buffalo Bills (8-3) on Monday Night Football. Sitting atop the standings in the AFC East, Buffalo is coming off a 27-17 victory against the Los Angeles Chargers and will be anxious to try and avenge a loss just two weeks earlier in the same building when the Cardinals won on a last-second desperation touchdown pass from Arizona's Kyler Murray to DeAndre Hopkins. At 5-6 on the year, the 49ers are still hanging onto a sliver of hope in the playoff hunt and would benefit tremendously with a win against one of the AFC's best and will welcome any help they can get from team's facing those in their division.
Follow me on Twitter: @FraserKnowsBest
No comments:
Post a Comment