INGLEWOOD, Calif. – The Rams (3-2) fell to the 49ers 26-23 in overtime Thursday night at SoFi Stadium.
Tied 20-20 with 10:39 remaining after kicker Joshua Karty‘s extra point attempt was blocked, the Rams defense pitched a critical 3-and-out which gave the ball back to their offense with 9:11 to play, only for the offense to go 3-and-out after an incomplete pass on 3rd and 1.
Despite punter Ethan Evans‘ ensuing punt being downed at the 49ers’ own 2-yard line, San Francisco (4-1) – despite being stopped at the L.A. 41 – managed to convert a 59-yard field goal attempt to take a 23-20 lead with 2:56 remaining in the fourth quarter.
From there, the Rams marched all the way down to the 49ers 3 with 1:05 remaining, when running back Kyren Williams fumbled at the 2. The 49ers recovered the ball at their own 1, but were forced to punt since the Rams could stop the clock with all three of their timeouts.
A holding penalty on the ensuing punt return against the Rams negated a 26-yard return by wide receiver Xavier Smith to the 49ers 27, but it didn’t prevent the Rams from getting kicker Josh Karty in position for a 48-yard field goal attempt that would send the game into overtime.
In overtime, the Rams gave the 49ers advantageous field position after being penalized for Karty’s kickoff landing short of the landing zone. San Francisco began the drive at their own 40 and reached the Rams 21 before outside linebacker Byron Young‘s sack for a nine yard loss on second down led to them settling for a 41-yard field goal, taking a 26-23 lead midway through overtime. The ball was tracking to miss wide left before skimming off the left upright and in.
The Rams made it to the 49ers 11 on the ensuing drive – aided by a 38-yard completion from quarterback Matthew Stafford to wide receiver Tutu Atwell – down to a 4th and 1 from there. The Rams went for it but were unsuccessful as Williams was stopped for no gain.
Williams finished with 131 total yards from scrimmage and two receiving touchdowns in the loss. Stafford finished 30 of 47 passing for 389 yards and three touchdowns.
Here is the complete game recap, presented by American Airlines:
The 49ers scored on the opening possession with a 6-yard touchdown pass from Jones to tight end Jake Tonges to take an early 7-0 lead. Leaning heavily on McCaffrey on that drive, Jones was 5-for-5 for 77 yards in addition to that touchdown pass on the first drive.
The Rams possessed the ball for just 3 minutes and 10 seconds in the first quarter, compared to a time of possession of 11:50 for the 49ers.
Los Angeles’ deficit increased to 14 after a 1-yard touchdown pass from Jones to McCaffrey as that second series – which began at San Francisco’s own 9-yard line – overlapped into the second quarter.
On the ensuing offensive series, running back Blake Corum fumbled the pitch from Stafford, and it was recovered by 49ers linebacker Trevis Gipson at their own 30.
However, the Rams defense forced the 49ers to punt after wide receiver Kendrick Bourne dropped a pass on third-down that would’ve converted to a first down. The offense responded with a scoring drive to make it 14-7 on a 14-yard touchdown pass from Stafford to Williams with 2:09 left in the first half. Los Angeles passed on nine-straight plays after Corum’s fumble.