The Los Angeles Rams traveled to Santa Clara Saturday to face the San Francisco 49ers, concluding the NFL’s Saturday triple-header.
Both teams needed this win, but for different reasons. The Rams (8-6) needed the victory to stay in contention for the playoffs, and the 49ers (11-3) needed to bounce back from a surprising loss to Atlanta last week.
It came down to the last second and a field goal, but the 49ers eliminated the Rams from the playoffs, while also putting them into position to clinch the NFC West next week.
The Rams opened the game with a drive that ended with a Brandin Cooks ten-yard touchdown catch, making the score 7-0 Rams after the point-after. San Francisco was able to answer by putting up a field goal on the following drive.
Both teams traded downs in the next several drives and, with less than four minutes left in the first quarter, Jimmy Garoppolo threw a pass intended for Emmanuel Sanders, but was intercepted by Jalen Ramsey for a 13-yard return.
The Rams capitalized on the turnover in their next drive after finishing the first quarter and starting the very beginning of the second quarter with a five-yard touchdown rush by Todd Gurley II and the score was 14-3.
San Francisco was able to cut that lead to four points after Deebo Samuel rushed for a 19-yard touchdown early in the second quarter.
The game continued to take a back-and-forth pace, but the Niners had the last laugh in the first half as Fred Warner intercepted a pass and returned it 46 yards for a touchdown. After Gould’s kick, the score was 24-21 San Francisco –– and that held true into halftime.
Garoppolo opened the second half with another interception, but the Rams couldn’t capitalize after Greg Zuerlein missed from 52 yards out.
The two teams exchanged downs in the next several drives, and the score remained unchanged until the 5:06 mark in the third quarter when Goff and Cooper Kupp connected for a 22-yard touchdown and the Rams took a 28-24 lead.
Again, the teams exchanged downs in the following four drives, and Los Angeles had possession of the ball at the start of the fourth quarter. It wasn’t until San Francisco’s second drive of the fourth quarter the score changed when Garoppolo threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to tight end Ross Dwelley to give the 49ers the three-point lead with six minutes left to play.
As the two teams had played a back and forth game all night, the last two plays wouldn’t be any different as the Rams returned in the next drive and Zuerlein kicked a field goal from the 52 yard line to tie the game with two and half minutes left to play.
San Francisco, to not be outdone finished the last drive of the game with Gould kicking a 33-yard field goal as the time on the clock expired giving San Francisco the three-point win, 34-31. The entire game was a game of back and forth and each team played effective offensive and defensive ball, it came down to a field goal, or perhaps, a missed field goal.
Next up for the 49ers is a rematch of the Week 9 matchup with the Seahawks, which was one of the three losses San Francisco has recorded. The Rams close out their 2019 season against the Arizona Cardinals.
Read it and sweep. #BeatLA pic.twitter.com/C8Fwn2DsQ9
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) December 23, 2019
"My focus is on finishing this season out the right way. Once we get to that point where the season is finished, there will be a lot of good self-reflection."
McVay on injuries, being eliminated from playoffs + finishing the season strong. pic.twitter.com/g3n1YanvGK
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) December 22, 2019
