‘I’m Fairly Sick Proper Now’: Sean McVay Takes Blame for Rams’ OT Loss to 49ers

The whole lot appeared to point the San Francisco 49ers had been in for a protracted evening after they traveled south on a brief week with out Brock Purdy, Nick Bosa, George Kittle and their high three vast receivers to face the surging Los Angeles Rams.

The Niners had a protracted Thursday evening, all proper — however after almost 67 minutes that includes innumerable twists and turns, they headed house with an inconceivable victory that reasserted their dominance of their largest NFC West rivalry.

“We talked about how robust we needed to be for 4 quarters,” quarterback Mac Jones stated. “It got here all the way down to who was going to be the hardest crew, and I feel it was us.”

Eddy Pineiro hit a 41-yard subject purpose in time beyond regulation earlier than San Francisco stopped Kyren Williams on fourth down with 3:36 to play, and the short-handed 49ers held on for an exciting 26-23 victory.

Jones handed for 342 yards and two touchdowns whereas enjoying by means of a leg damage for the 49ers (4-1), who scored on their first two drives and led 20-7 late within the third quarter.

Los Angeles lastly mounted a rally, however with assist from a number of evident Rams errors, the Niners held on to win their first OT sport since shedding Tremendous Bowl 58 in February 2024.

The frantic fourth quarter featured Piñeiro’s tiebreaking 59-yard subject purpose with 2:52 left, Williams’ subsequent goal-line fumble and Joshua Karty’s tying 48-yard subject purpose for the Rams (3-2) with 2 seconds to play.

“They had been unbelievable,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan stated of his gamers. “We talked about how lengthy this sport was going to be, how targeted we needed to be, how aggressive we needed to be for your entire time. Began out nice, but it surely’s crew. They tightened it up. Bought actual tight, then misplaced various dudes. We needed to overcome shedding two D-linemen in that sport, and the D-line remains to be stepping it up large. That was an enormous character win.”

The Rams gave the ball to San Francisco to start time beyond regulation, and Jones drove to arrange Piñeiro’s fourth subject purpose with 5:51 left.

Los Angeles marched down the sphere, and dealing with fourth-and-1 on the San Francisco 11, coach Sean McVay elected to go for it — solely to name a working play that he regretted virtually instantly.

“I’m fairly sick proper now,” McVay stated. “I’m sick of the spot that I put our group in to finish the sport, however these are the robust beats that you just’ve received to have the ability to be taught from and transfer ahead.”

Marques Sigle and Deommodore Lenoir received credit score for smothering Williams effectively in need of the primary down.

“It didn’t appear like they’d wherever to go,” Shanahan stated. “Seemed like a brick wall, which has similarities to what we bumped into all sport, but it surely was superior for us to get it completed.”

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Instances by way of Getty Photos)

Kendrick Bourne had profession highs of 10 catches for 142 yards for San Francisco, whereas Jones performed impressively by means of an obvious leg damage. Christian McCaffrey had 139 complete yards for the 49ers, who snapped their three-game shedding streak on this rivalry regardless of the damage absences of Purdy — who’s “week to week” together with his toe damage, Shanahan revealed — and the vast majority of their most well-known gamers.

San Francisco then misplaced beginning defensive linemen Kalia Davis and Yetur Gross-Matos to accidents in the course of the sport, however rookie backup lineman Alfred Collins made the most important play of the evening when he compelled and recovered Williams’ fumble on the purpose line with 1:05 left in regulation.

“It was a must-have-it play, as a result of if I didn’t do this, they’d have scored,” Collins stated. “After I noticed the ball, I cocked it again and hit it.”

Collins punched the ball away and fell on it when Williams was inches from scoring a go-ahead TD. Williams misplaced the ball 5 days after Indianapolis’ Adonai Mitchell fumbled an on the spot earlier than crossing the identical purpose line within the Rams’ 27-20 victory.

“I really feel like I let the crew down on the 1-yard line,” stated Williams, who caught two TD passes.

Matthew Stafford handed for 389 yards and three touchdowns for the Rams, who misplaced regardless of racking up 319 yards after halftime. Los Angeles missed a protracted subject purpose, had an additional level blocked and fumbled twice deep in 49ers territory.

Los Angeles nonetheless used its three timeouts to power a punt after Wiliams’ fumble and drove to power OT.

Puka Nacua had 10 receptions for 85 yards and a landing, changing into the primary receiver in NFL historical past with greater than 50 catches in his crew’s first 5 video games.

“There have been moments within the sport the place we fought again and gave ourselves alternatives to win, and we simply did not execute on them,” Nacua stated.

Purdy sat out for the third time in 4 video games together with his toe damage. San Francisco additionally performed with out injured receivers Jauan Jennings, Ricky Pearsall and Brandon Aiyuk — however Jones, Bourne and a fired-up protection did simply sufficient to reassert the Niners’ dominance on this matchup.

Accidents

49ers: Gross-Matos injured his hamstring within the second half and didn’t return. … Davis broke his hand within the first half, Shanahan stated. … CB Upton Stout was sidelined late by an ankle damage.

Rams: RT Rob Havenstein and TE Tyler Higbee had been inactive.

Up subsequent

49ers: Go to the Buccaneers on Sunday, Oct. 12.

Rams: Go to the Ravens on Sunday, Oct. 12.

Reporting by The Related Press.

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