Entering Sunday's game as the 6th seed in the NFC's playoff picture, the 49ers needed a win against the Rams, or a loss from the New Orleans Saints who were waiting in the shadows facing the Atlanta Falcons. But after the Saints jumped out to an early lead, the Niners knew if they wanted things done, they'd have to do it themselves. And with wins over the Rams in five straight games dating back to 2019, there was no reason to believe these 49ers weren't capable of getting the job done. However, through the game's first two quarters, it didn't seem likely that head coach Kyle Shanahan's 49ers team was going to be playing any football this season beyond Sunday. Things looked gloomy for the Niners even before kickoff as they learned an hour before Sunday's game that they'd be heading into battle shorthanded, ruling out two of their most important players in left-tackle Trent Williams and cornerback K'Waun Williams. Adding insult to injury, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo who missed Week 17 with a torn ligament in his thumb, was limited in practice all week, yet still had enough confidence from his head coach to be given the nod to start Sunday's must-win game.
Much like the 49ers who came out guns blazing in their Week 10 match-up at Levi's Stadium on Monday Night Football, the Rams came out firing on all cylinders to start Sunday's game by jumping out to a 17-0 advantage. With two punts and an interception to show for following San Francisco's first three offensive possessions, the 49ers were in need of any spark they could get before the half. Finally forcing a punt with less than a minute remaining in the first half, the 49er defense was able to get off the field and at least give the offense a chance to get something going when they needed it most. Highlighted by a 26-yard gain from Jimmy G to receiver Brandon Aiyuk, the Niner offense was able to march 61-yards in five plays before setting up kicker Robbie Gould for a field goal to get San Francisco on the board. But even the field goal attempts wouldn't come easy for the 49ers as punter and placeholder Mitch Wishnowsky had to check out of the game early in the second quarter after sustaining a head injury when attempting to make a tackle during one of San Francisco's punts. Luckily, for the Niners, their Pro Bowl fullback and emergency QB Kyle Juszczyk would step up and fill the void.
With an unblemished track record of 45-wins and 0-losses including playoffs when leading at the half under head coach Sean McVay, which happens to be the longest streak of its kind to begin a head coaching career in the Super Bowl era, there was plenty reason to believe the Rams were headed for another victory as they entered the locker room leading, 17-3. But if anybody was going to spoil that streak, it would be McVay's friend and former colleague Kyle Shanahan who has had McVay's number for as long as they've been NFC Western Division rivals. And with San Francisco receiving the ball to open the second half, the field goal they were able to put on the scoreboard just before halftime was all they needed to spark a shift in momentum. Opening the second half with the same confidence they closed out the first with, Garoppolo again connected on a big play to Brandon Aiyuk for a 31-yard gain. Several plays later, the 49ers would call on their Swiss Army Knife in Deebo Samuel who took a handoff 16-yards to the house for their first touchdown of the afternoon. Cutting into L.A.'s lead, the 49ers suddenly found themselves right back in the game after forcing the Rams to punt on their ensuing possession.
After rushing for a touchdown on their previous drive, Deebo Samuel would again be front and center for the 49er offense, this time taking a handoff to the right and launching a pass into the end zone to a wide-open Jauan Jennings. With the game now tied, the 49ers would intercept Stafford on the Rams' ensuing possession, but would be forced to punt the ball with Robbie Gould thrusted into the punter position for the first time since 2007. After forcing a punt of their own, the San Francisco offense would knock on the door of taking their first lead of the ballgame as they marched inside the Rams' 20 yard line, but an errant pass into traffic from Garoppolo to tight-end George Kittle would result in the second pick of the day from the 49ers QB, as L.A.'s Jalen Ramsey made a juggling catch in the end zone. Knowing just what to do with it, L.A. quarterback Matthew Stafford fed his star receiver Cooper Kupp with a number of plays, including a 30-yard pass on third and six and a 4-yard touchdown pass in the corner of the end zone to put the Rams back on top. With both teams exchanging punts, the 49ers would get the ball back with 1:27 remaining in the 4th quarter. Running the two-minute offense to perfection, Garoppolo would hit Aiyuk and Samuel for big gains with receptions of 21 and 43 yards, respectively. And with 31-seconds remaining, Garoppolo would find a wide-open Jennings cutting in the middle of the field for the game-tying touchdown from 14-yards out to send the game into overtime.
Winning the coin-toss and electing to receive the ball, the 49er offense embarked on a 14-play, 79-yard drive, but was forced to settle for another field goal after making it inside L.A.'s 10-yard line before sputtering with three straight plays of 1-yard or fewer. Taking their first lead of the game in overtime, all eyes would be on the San Francisco defense who were in need of a turnover to punch their ticket to the playoffs after the Saints marched to a 30-20 victory over Atlanta. Not only would the Niners get their turnover, but they'd get it from one of the most unlikeliest of heroes as rookie corner Ambry Thomas who has struggled in his young career and has been on the giving end of many touchdown receptions, including the second touchdown reception of the day from Rams tight-end Tyler Higbee. But when they needed it most, Thomas came down with the game-sealing play when he intercepted a deep pass intended for Odell Beckham Jr., the first of his career, to punch San Francisco's ticket to the postseason. Winning by a final score of 27-24, San Francisco's Jimmy Garoppolo, thumb-splint and all, won his sixth straight game against the Rams, the third-longest streak of QB wins versus the Rams since the 1970 merger, throwing for 316 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions in the win.
49ers running back Elijah Mitchell led all backs with 85 yards on 21 carries, as Deebo Samuel followed with 45 yards and a touchdown on eight rush attempts. Hauling in four receptions for another 95 yards receiving, Deebo also threw for 24 yards and a touchdown in his only pass attempt. Sunday would mark the best game of the season receiving-wise from wide-outs Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings who each caught six balls for 107 and 94 yards, respectively, with Jennings hauling in a pair of touchdown receptions. L.A.'s Cooper Kupp continued his record-setting season by catching passes for 118 yards receiving and a touchdown from QB Matthew Stafford who threw for 238 yards, 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, on his way to surpassing Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner (4,830 in 2001) for the most passing yards in a season by a Ram, albeit with an extra game added to the NFL's regular season schedule. Stafford also tied Warner's (1999) record for the most passing TD's in a season in Rams history with 31. Despite the loss, the Rams still managed to win the division as Arizona failed to win at home against the Seahawks. The Rams who have now dropped six straight against the Niners since 2019, are 31-12 vs all other opponents during that span.
Wild Card Preview: Entering the Playoffs as the sixth seed, the 49ers will hit the road to face the No. 3 seeded Dallas Cowboys (12-5), winners of the NFC East. Spearheaded by quarterback and NFL Comeback Player of the Year candidate Dak Prescott, the Cowboys are just as dangerous on defense as they are on offense. Leading the league in both takeaways (34) and interceptions (26), Dallas is a team the Niners will need a clean game against if they plan to pull off the upset, and can ill-afford another multi-turnover game from Jimmy Garoppolo. San Francisco will also need to limit any extra-chances they give Dallas' offense which also ranked first in the NFL in total yards and scoring. Having put up 50+ points in two of their last three games, the Cowboys are not a team Kyle Shanahan will want his offense going blow for blow against as Dallas has as much fire power as anybody in all of football. Hoping to have Pro Bowl left-tackle Trent Williams back from his elbow injury in time from the game, the 49ers open as 3-point underdogs and will try to pull off the upset at Dallas' AT&T Stadium with a start time of 4:30pm ET. In his 11th NFL season, Williams who has faced the Cowboys many times dating back to his days in the division with the Washington Redskins, Williams has never been on a playoff-winning team. Coach Shanahan hopes to put an end to that streak this weekend for one of his best players.
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