INGLEWOOD, Calif. — As he addressed his crew Saturday evening, San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan issued a stern warning about the kind of opponent the Los Angeles Rams could be on Sunday.
Though the winless Rams have been coming off an embarrassing loss to the Arizona Cardinals and have been as depleted by accidents as any crew within the league, Shanahan anticipated Los Angeles to play with loads of urgency and desperation.
“You have to take their hope away,” Shanahan mentioned. “You give [Rams quarterback Matthew] Stafford an excessive amount of hope [and] you set a ball in his arms on the finish, it is not a scenario you need to be in.”
Alas, that was exactly the scenario the Niners have been in late Sunday afternoon. Regardless of leaping out to a 14-point lead, San Francisco was unable to construct on its early momentum due to particular groups miscues, defensive breakdowns and offensive errors on the best way to a surprising 27-24 loss.
The Niners dropped their second consecutive recreation, falling to 1-2, and misplaced to an NFC West division opponent for the primary time with Brock Purdy because the beginning quarterback. After the sport, Shanahan described his crew as “pissed” at how a victory slipped away. That frustration was obvious within the locker room as huge receiver Jauan Jennings, who had almost carried the Niners to a win with a career-best outing, declined to talk to the media.
“It was unacceptable,” linebacker Fred Warner mentioned. “We will not try this. We will not beat ourselves. Cannot make these sort of errors once more. All three phases have gotten to play higher. We’ll have a look at the tape, repair it and transfer on.”
A proud 49ers crew that has been to a minimum of the NFC Championship Sport in 4 of the previous 5 years has a lot to repair. The Niners entered Sunday with out a trio of their greatest gamers — injured star working again Christian McCaffrey (Achilles tendinitis), receiver Deebo Samuel (calf) and tight finish George Kittle (hamstring) — however the Rams felt little sympathy as in addition they are lacking loads of injured gamers.
For San Francisco, the sport took a flip for the more severe with 6:22 left within the second quarter and the Rams dealing with a fourth-and-6 from their 43. Down by two scores with little to lose, it was an apparent spot for a pretend punt, a lot in order that Shanahan and the Niners referred to as the punt return with the expectation of a pretend.
It did not matter, because the direct snap to Rams working again Ronnie Rivers was a 7-yard acquire and, finally, the Rams’ first landing. As a substitute of a possible three-score deficit, the Rams have been left with loads of hope. That was solely bolstered by continued San Francisco blunders on particular groups.
After permitting a blocked punt in final week’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings, the Niners allowed the pretend punt conversion, missed a 55-yard subject objective and yielded a 38-yard punt return to arrange the Rams’ profitable subject objective.
“That is the place I assumed we had an opportunity to run away with it, not give them any hope,” Shanahan mentioned. “That gave them a whole lot of hope. Received them again in it … these are three large performs within the recreation.”
Particular groups wasn’t the one concern for the Niners on Sunday. A protection that held the Rams to zero factors, 29 yards and one first down within the opening quarter allowed Los Angeles to put up 27 factors, 267 yards and 18 first downs over the ultimate three. The Niners additionally didn’t drive a turnover as Stafford authored his forty fifth game-winning drive within the fourth quarter or extra time, seventh most for the reason that 1970 merger.
The 14-point comeback win is the most important by the Rams below coach Sean McVay and largest general since Week 2 of the 2012 season.
“I feel we have now to really feel the loss,” finish Nick Bosa mentioned. “We will not simply transfer on and act prefer it’s positive … The NFL, it is up and down, and irrespective of how gifted you assume you’re, it’s a must to play good on Sunday.”
Regardless of all of that, the Niners nonetheless had an opportunity to win, largely due to Jennings and Purdy. Beginning instead of Samuel, Jennings delivered a recreation to recollect with 11 catches for 175 yards and three touchdowns, turning into the fourth participant in franchise historical past to have 175 receiving yards and three scores in the identical recreation.
Purdy, in the meantime, did not miss a beat with out his normal weapons, ending 22-of-30 for 292 yards and three touchdowns with a 137.1 passer ranking. However these numbers might have been higher as Purdy did not get a lot assist from go catchers not named Jennings. The Niners have been charged with three drops, although that they had others worn out by penalties.
None was greater than the deep go Purdy fired to an open Ronnie Bell down the best sideline with 1:08 to go. Purdy’s go was heading in the right direction and Bell had a clear likelihood at a giant catch to arrange a possible game-winning subject objective. As a substitute, Bell dropped it and the Niners have been pressured to punt to arrange the Rams’ closing drive.
The loss made Purdy the third 49ers sign caller (alongside Joe Montana and Steve Younger) to lose a recreation through which he accomplished a minimum of 70% of his passes and three or extra touchdowns. It additionally dropped the Niners beneath the .500 mark for the primary time with Purdy because the starter.
At 1-2, the Niners are properly conscious that there’s loads of season left. Their locker room is stuffed with gamers who’ve helped them dig out of much more troublesome spots within the current previous. However in addition they know alternatives like Sunday’s can come again to hang-out them later within the yr.
“That is simply a part of the NFL and being knowledgeable in knowledgeable sport, all people’s actually good,” Purdy mentioned. “Final yr means completely nothing. And each time you present up on Sunday, you are going to get all people’s greatest shot. It is the NFL and all of us must be actual with that. We now have to have the mindset of going and taking it each Sunday and nothing’s ever going to be given to us.”
