Seventh Time a Charm for Rams who Knock off 49ers in Bid to Super Bowl

NFC Championship - Facing off on Sunday with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line would be two NFC West foes and longtime rivals in the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams. Also going toe to toe would be two longtime friends and former colleagues in Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay, a pair of head coaches who have both helped turn around their franchises and each with a Super Bowl appearance under their belt. Unfortunately, as much as one would like to see the other succeed, only one would move on to the big game, while the other would be sent home to witness the Super Bowl from afar. With one team's dreams of making it to Super Bowl Sunday coming true, the other would see their hopes slip away. And for the 49er Faithful, the hopes and dreams of their team hoisting that elusive sixth Super Bowl title remained just that -- elusive. 

Heading into the matchup, many believed the winner of the game would be determined by which quarterback would commit the fewest amount of mistakes. And for nearly four full quarters, that QB appeared to be San Francisco's Jimmy Garoppolo. That was until the 49ers' final drive of the game when disaster struck. But long before an all around collapse by San Francisco and Jimmy G's costly mistake, coach Shanahan appeared to have the upper hand yet again against his old buddy McVay. Having swept the Rams in the regular season for the third consecutive season and seeking their seventh straight victory over L.A., the 49ers were able to keep the Rams' high-powered offense off the scoreboard in the first quarter as the two teams headed into the second quarter scoreless. After both teams exchanged three and out punts to open the game, the Rams marched their way to the red zone before an interception from quarterback Matt Stafford inside the 5-yardline. Getting a hand on a pass intended for L.A.'s Cooper Kupp was San Francisco's K'Waun Williams who's battled ball fell right into the lap of teammate Jimmie Ward who hauled in his third interception of the season, all against Stafford. 

Though they would miss the opportunity on their first trip to the red zone, Stafford would capitalize on their second chance, finding Kupp all alone in the end zone for the easy touchdown to cap off a 97-yard drive, their longest of the season. Answering with a touchdown of their own, the 49ers setup shop within striking distance after a big play along the sideline from Garoppolo to Brandon Aiyuk. Several plays later, the Niners' biggest play-maker this season would show up once again when Deebo Samuel caught a screen-pass and took it 44-yards to the house for the score. When the Rams failed to convert on a go-ahead 54-yard field goal from kicker Matt Gay on their ensuing possession, the 49ers' Robbie Gould showed his counterpart just how its done as the Niners got him within range to bang thru a 38-yarder to give San Francisco a 10-7 lead at the half. Gould would extend his perfect mark in the postseason with another field goal to make him 21-for-21, the most makes without a miss in the Super Bowl era. After the 49ers punted away their first possession of the second half, the Rams turned the ball over on downs when a QB sneak attempt from a yard out went awry. Taking advantage of the stop, the 49ers would add to their lead when Garoppolo hit tight-end George Kittle in the end zone for a 16-yard touchdown, the first of Kittle's career in the postseason. 

Entering the fourth quarter trailing by 10, the Rams would answer with a touchdown of their own when Stafford connected with Cooper Kupp in the end zone for a second time. Bringing his team within a field goal, Kupp who won the triple-crown this year among NFL wide-outs, became the first receiver in league history to have three games of 100+ receiving yards against a single opponent in a single season as the 49ers' secondary continued to struggle and failed to find an answer for the 2022 All-Pro. And just when the Rams began to finally show a late surge of offense, San Francisco suddenly couldn't find any of their own as the offense punted on each of their first two possessions of the fourth quarter, and both times, the Rams would add a field goal. But before the field goal that ultimately tied the game at 17-all, the biggest play of the game for San Francisco would be the one that never happened when safety Jaquiski Tartt failed to come up with a gimme interception that would've came up clutch and put San Francisco in prime position to add to their lead late with under 10 minutes remaining. Reminding us all why he's a defensive-back and not a receiver, Tartt fell to the ground in disbelief when he bobbled what should've been an easy pick.

Instead of adding to their lead, the 49ers quickly found themselves trailing by a field goal with just under two minutes remaining after a second field goal from Matt Gay. In desperate need of a score to either tie the game or take the lead, things began to sputter and the offensive-line started shuffling at the worse possible time. Facing a 3rd and 13, pressure would be applied to Garoppolo from Aaron Donald who had been quiet up to that point, forcing the Niners signal-caller to get off an errant shovel pass that tipped off the hands of his target in JaMycal Hasty and into the hands of a Rams defender to seal the game, 20-17, Rams. Sadly for the 49ers, a 10-point fourth quarter lead and a stadium invasion as red-clad Niner fans took over L.A.'s SoFi Stadium yet again, proved to not be enough when it was all said and done. 

In what's likely to be the final game of QB Jimmy Garoppolo's career in San Francisco, the Niners signal-caller finished with 232 passing yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. As for his counterpart, Matthew Stafford threw for 337 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. Neither team would do a whole lot on the ground, making way for big games through the air from San Francisco's Deebo Samuel and the Rams' tandem of Cooper Kupp and Odell Beckham Jr. Finishing with 4 receptions for 72 yards and a touchdown, Deebo also added another 26 yards on 7 carries to give him 2,061 scrimmage yards on the year, the most by a WR in a single season in 49ers history (including playoffs), surpassing Hall of Famer Jerry Rice's mark of 2,006 scrimmage yards in 1995. As for L.A.'s dynamic duo, Kupp finished with 11 receptions for 142 yards and 2 touchdowns, becoming only the third Ram ever to haul in 2+ touchdowns in a playoff game. Meanwhile, Beckham had his most productive outing since Week 6 of 2019, catching nine balls for 113 yards to snap a drought of 33 straight games without 100+ receiving yards. 

Another noteworthy performance was that of San Francisco's Nick Bosa. Only three years into his young career and two trips to the playoffs, Bosa tallied another 1.5 sacks on Sunday, passing Hall of Famer Charles Haley (7.5) for the most postseason sacks by a 49ers player since sacks became an official stat in 1982. After missing virtually all of last season after blowing out his knee, Bosa has 0.5+ sacks in each of his six career playoff games, the second longest streak since sacks became official. With a record of 15-6 when leading by 10+ points at any point in the game since 2020 (including playoffs), San Francisco's six losses are the most losses by any team in the NFL in that span. As for the Rams who are 2-23 when trailing by 10+ points in the second half under coach McVay, at least his team knows how to pick them as both wins have come in the NFC Championship game. Adding salt to the wound for Niner fans everywhere, the Rams overcame a fourth quarter deficit of 10+ points to win a game for the first time since Week 1 of the 2013 season (vs Arizona), this after 49 straight losses in such situations. 

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49ers Run away from Rams in Dominant Monday Night Win

Week 10 - With the San Francisco 49ers (3-5) playing host in front of a national audience on Monday Night Football and seeking their first home win of the season, a meeting with the rival Los Angeles Rams (7-2) would be a welcome sight for Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan who has prevailed in four straight meetings against his friend and former colleague Sean McVay. Looking to shake off an embarrassing loss at home to a short-handed Cardinals team, what better way to bounce back than to take it to another division foe in what would be the 144th all-time meeting between the Rams and 49ers. The match-up would also feature two of the brightest young stars at the receiver position as Los Angeles' Cooper Kupp and San Francisco's Deebo Samuel entered the meeting as the league's No.'s 1 and 2 leading receivers, marking the 18th time in NFL history that the league's top two receivers in receiving yards faced off in a season in Week 10 or later since 1970. 

All the buzz leading into the marquee matchup between the two long standing rivals would revolve around a pair of reinforcements acquired by the Rams just days prior to gameday. After trading for outside-linebacker and former Super Bowl MVP Von Miller from the Denver Broncos, the Rams made a splash by signing 3-time Pro Bowl receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to add to their star-studded roster. But come kickoff, neither player would put their stamp on the game as both guys were virtually nonfactors in a game dominated by the home team. Though Odell would get his feet wet on the Rams' first play from scrimmage, hauling in a 5-yard reception from quarterback Matthew Stafford, he would go relatively quiet the rest of the night (2 receptions, 18 yards). Stafford would attempt a home run pass to his newest weapon just four plays into the game, but overthrew his target on a deep ball that was air-mailed and intercepted by San Francisco's Jimmie Ward. Pinned deep near their own end zone at the 7-yardline, the 49er offense would embark on an 18-play, 93-yard drive that lasted 11-minutes and 3-seconds before ultimately resulting in a touchdown pass from QB Jimmie Garoppolo to tight-end George Kittle. Utilizing a heavy diet of run plays, San Francisco had their way with the Rams, tiring them down before capitalizing with an early trip to the end zone.  

Possession number two wouldn't be much better for Stafford and the Rams as the former No. 1 overall pick was intercepted for a second time in as many drives, again by Jimmie Ward who took this one to the house for a 27-yard pick-six touchdown. With the ball bouncing off of Rams tight-end Tyler Higbee and into the Niners' lap, Jimmie Ward who hadn't recorded an interception since Week 14 of 2016, suddenly found himself with two interceptions in the game's opening quarter. As for the San Francisco defense who entered Monday's game with only two interceptions on the year, the team had doubled their output in a matter of minutes. The third time would be a charm, however, for Stafford and company, as the Rams responded with a touchdown-scoring drive of their own. Redeeming himself for the bobble that resulted in the pick-six, it was Higbee who came down with the 10-yard strike to put L.A. on the board to start the second quarter. But picking up right where they left off would be Jimmy G and the Niner offense, turning in another lengthy drive that ended in success. 

Running it right down the Rams throat once again, Deebo Samuel capped off the 15-play, 91-yard drive that ended in Deebo rushing it into the end zone from 8-yards out. With the Rams marching just before the end of the first half, L.A. would setup for 34-yard field goal, but coach McVay would try to get cute by dialing up a fake that was sniffed out perfectly by San Francisco's D.J. Jones who made the stop. Taking a 21-7 lead into the half, the 49ers would get the ball back to open the second half, but were held to their first punt of the evening. Forcing a Rams three and out on the ensuing possession, the 49ers would add to their lead with a Robbie Gould field goal from 50-yards out. With little to no fireworks from either team in the third quarter, San Francisco kicked things off with a bang to open the fourth. Electing to go for it on 4th and 6, coach Shanahan's gutsy decision paid off as Garoppolo found Deebo Samuel down the middle for a 40-yard touchdown that put the game away for good. The Rams offense would threaten on each of their next two possessions by making it into the red zone both times, but were only able to walk away with three points as a turnover on downs and a field goal was all they had to show for. 

Continuing to have success in the run game, the 49ers were able to milk the clock and cruise to a 31-10 victory. Helping hand the Rams their first road loss of the season, 49ers rookie running back Elijah Mitchell would lead the way with 91 yards on 27 carries, and Jeff Wilson Jr. returned to the field after missing the first eight weeks of the season due knee surgery, adding 28 yards on 10 carries. But the biggest weapon of the night for the Niners would be Deebo Samuel who logged 133 all purpose yards (97 yards receiving, 36 yards rushing) and 2 touchdowns. Jimmy Garoppolo threw for an efficient 182 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 15 of 19 pass attempts, being sacked only once and avoiding the costly turnovers that doomed him a week earlier. Meanwhile, Cooper Kupp shined once more for the Rams, hauling in 11 receptions for 122 yards as Matt Stafford's (243 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions) favorite target of the night. With 393 days in between Monday Night's game and their last regular season home win, also against the Rams, the Niners appeared to turn back the clock and enjoy some success similar to that of their run-dominant performance in the 2019 NFC Championship against the Packers which just so happened to be the last win at Levi's Stadium with a live crowd. Though they may trail them in the standings, for the 49ers it's their fifth straight victory over the Rams, making it safe to say that coach Shanahan has McVay's number, at least for now. 

Week 11 Preview: Hoping to build off their first home win of the season, snapping an 8-game home losing streak, the San Francisco 49ers (4-5) will hit the road to visit the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-7). Led by the No. 1 overall pick in April's Draft -- Trevor Lawrence and first-year head coach Urban Meyer, the Jags up to this point have looked a lot like what you'd expect from a team with a rookie QB and rookie head coach, but do have one of the biggest upsets of the season under the belt after a 9-6 win over one of the AFC's heavyweights in the Buffalo Bills back in Week 9. Coming off season-highs in third down conversions and in time of possession, coach Shanahan would love to see more of the same on Sunday. Never a dull moment on the 49ers injury front, it was learned on Tuesday that rookie running back Elijah Mitchell fractured his finger and will undergo a procedure with a chance of him returning to the practice field as early as Wednesday according to coach Shanahan. His status for Sunday's game, however, remains uncertain. 

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