Niners Dispatch rival Rams in L.A.

Week 6 - Entering their Week 6 meeting against the division rival (3-2) Los Angeles Rams at the L.A. Coliseum, the (4-0) San Francisco 49ers were given little chance on Sunday by pundits around the league who blamed San Francisco's hot start on an easy schedule through their first four weeks of play, and that Kyle Shanahan's team would finally be exposed against opposing head coach Sean McVay and the defending NFC Champion Rams. And while things looked rough at the start of the game for the Niners, there would be a turning of the tables as it was San Francisco who did the exposing in a visiting stadium that felt a lot more like a home atmosphere as the Coliseum was drenched in red and gold-clad fans that kept the, "let's go Niners" chant reverberating through the stadium virtually all afternoon long. With both teams facing off with winning records for the first time since December 9, 2001, each club would have their eyes set on a streak as the Niners looked to improve to 5-0 for the first time since 1990, while the Rams were trying to avoid their first three-game losing skid of the McVay era which began in 2017.

Opening the game on offense, the Niners were forced to punt after a three and out ended with a sack from Pro Bowl defensive-tackle Aaron Donald who has single-handedly been a thorn in the side of the 49ers over the years. And with a makeshift offensive-line tasked to keep quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo on his feet in the absence of two offensive-tackles in Joe Staley and Mike McGlinchey, the Rams defense would be held to only two sacks on the afternoon, both by Donald. L.A.'s offense would be equally as impressive on their first possession as McVay dialed up a touchdown-scoring drive that needed only seven plays, all of which via the rush. With the early score marking the first rushing touchdown allowed by San Francisco's defense this season, it was almost as if McVay and the Rams were trying to prove a point and beat them at their own game considering it's been the Niners' ground attack that has ran up and down the field against the opposition, having averaged a league-leading 200 yards rushing per game this season. In fact, their 800 rushing yards in the first four games this season is the most by San Francisco through the first four weeks since 1959.

Looking to answer, Jimmy G and the Niners would do just that as running back Tevin Coleman stiff-armed a defender before finding the end zone for a touchdown. For the Niners, it would seem as though the early struggles on both sides of the football would serve as a wake up call as Kyle Shanahan's team made the adjustments and returned to form the rest of the way. And while both teams would shut out the other for the remainder of the first half following the early touchdowns, the Niners' scoring drought was more of their own doing as they began shooting themselves in the foot, whereas the Rams were just unable to find an answer for San Francisco's smothering defense. After marching down the field and reaching the red zone for the second consecutive drive, thanks to a big play made by tight-end George Kittle who broke several tackles before finally being brought down, the Niners decided to pass the ball from the 1-yard line which resulted in a head-scratching interception by Garoppolo, followed by a missed field goal two drives later. An impressive goal-line stand by the 49er defense that held the Rams offense out of the end zone on back to back plays from the 1-yard line, helped keep the game tied at 7 entering the half.

Beginning the second half on defense, the 49ers would capitalize on an early miscue by the Rams as rookie running back Darrell Henderson fumbled a pitch from Jared Goff on the very first play of the third quarter. It would be the beginning of a nightmarish third quarter for L.A.'s offense as they were held to -19 yards for the quarter and netted a combined 0 total yards over their next six drives after being stood up at the goal-line to end the first half. Taking over in the red zone, San Francisco would claim their first lead as Garoppolo plowed into the end zone via the QB sneak which he would follow with an emphatic spike of the ball. With a chance to pull even further ahead on their next possession, Garoppolo would overthrow a wide-open Tevin Coleman in the end zone as they were forced to settle for a field goal. Increasing their lead to 20-7 with Robbie Gould's second field goal of the afternoon one drive later, the 49er defense would withstand anything McVay's offense would throw at them, forcing three turnover on downs in the fourth quarter. After coming out swinging on offense with a touchdown on their opening drive, the Rams would be held scoreless on their final ten possessions and for the remainder of the game as Jared Goff was stymied and held without a touchdown for the first time this season in what would be the worst start of his career. Finishing with only 78 yards passing from Goff, the fewest for any Rams QB who played a full game since T.J. Rubley in Week 15 of the 1993 season, the 7-points scored were also the fewest scored by a McVay coached team.

Garoppolo again didn't stack the stat sheet, passing for 243 yards on 24 of 33 attempts, nor did he have to as the defense carried the load. Garoppolo's favorite target -- George Kittle, finished with a game-high 103 yards receiving on 8 receptions. And on the day the great Jerry Rice celebrated his 57th birthday, Kittle became the first 49er to haul in 50+ receiving yards in 10 straight games since the aforementioned Rice. After becoming the first team since the 2013 Kansas City Chiefs to start a season 4-0 after winning four or fewer games the year prior, the 49ers have already surpassed their win total from a season ago by improving to 5-0 following Sunday's win. Now 11-2 in his career at the helm of the 49ers, Jimmy G who owns the best winning percentage of any QB in that span with a minimum of 10 starts, will look to add to that record with a favorable match-up next.

Week 7 Preview - Continuing on the road, the 49ers will pay a visit to the nation's capital to face the (1-5) Washington Redskins. Coming off their first win of the season, a 17-16 road win against the lowly Miami Dolphins, the 'Skins will be underdogs in their own home. That's right, the (5-0) San Francisco 49ers will be double-digit favorites on the road for the first time since 2013 as some sports books even opened up with the Niners being 10-point favorites against a team that is a week removed from firing head coach Jay Gruden after starting the season 0-5. Led by interim head coach Bill Callahan, quarterback Chase Keenum and rookie receiver Terry McLaurin who has impressed in the early stage of the season, will look to pull off the upset and string together their first winning streak of 2019. As for the Niners, I'd expect to see the offense regain its mojo and continue their success on the ground after putting up only 99 yards in the win against the Rams compared to the 200 rushing yards per game they had averaged.


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