5 Takeaways From the Rams' 27-24 Loss to 49ers

What are the main takeaways we learned from the Rams' Week 18 loss to the 49ers?

Nicholas Cothrel | Jan 10, 2022

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The Los Angeles Rams blew a 17-point lead that forced overtime before ultimately falling to the San Francisco 49ers by the score of 27-24. It was the 49ers' sixth consecutive time they've beaten their in-state rival across the last three seasons, clearly having the Rams number in games of late.

The Rams did, however, clinch the NFC West as a result of the Seahawks beating the Cardinals, but L.A. did fall from the No. 2 seed in the NFC to the No. 4 seed. They'll host the Cardinals in the Wild Card Round on Monday Night Football at 5:15 p.m. PT.

Here are five key takeaways from the Rams' overtime loss to the 49ers:

1. 49ers owned the battle in the trenches

The Rams offensive line has been stable for most of the year. That includes the games in which they were left patching up the group upfront when starting offensive lineman missed games due to COVID-19 protocols. However, on Sunday against the 49ers, the offensive line of the Rams was punished for the greater part of four and a half quarters. The 49ers won the battle at the line of scrimmage, applying constant pressure in Stafford's face when dropping back to throw. The Rams offensive line allowed 22 pressures on Stafford’s 32 dropbacks, per PFF. Particularly, 15 of them came from the two guard positions (David Edwards and Austin Corbett). Ultimately, Stafford was pressured on 37.8% of his dropbacks and the 49ers brought a blitz just 16% of the time, per Next Gen Stats.

2. Matthew Stafford's turnovers are a troubling trend

Certainly, the offensive line is at blame for not allowing Stafford adequate time to distribute the ball effectively. But in another sense, Stafford's recent games of turning over the football is beginning to be a trend. Stafford was intercepted twice, extending his streak of games with at least two interceptions to three games. In fact, Stafford has committed eight turnovers across the last three contests. While the Rams have won twice over that span, being reckless with the football isn't a recipe for success as they head into the playoffs and are tasked with facing top-notch teams.

3. 49ers' second half adjustments was the turning point

The Rams owned the first half, playing nearly as good of football as they could have hoped for to begin the game. The 49ers tacked on a last-minute field goal heading into halftime and it was from that drive on that San Francisco had a boost of momentum on their side and played with a sense of purpose in the second half before forcing the game into overtime and eventually recording the game-winning interception by cornerback Ambry Thomas. 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo had just 90 passing yards when the first two quarters came to a close. But after a surging second half, Garoppolo finished the game completing over 70% of his passes for 316 yards with two interceptions. Playing through a hand injury and all, Garoppolo came through when it mattered most down the stretch.

4. Rams had no answer for Deebo Samuel

The Rams are far too familiar with Samuel and yet they had no answers for slowing down the 49ers' dynamic playmaker. In Week 10, the 49ers introduced the Rams to Samuel's role of playing running back in addition to his efforts at wide receiver. Samuel collected 133 yards and two touchdowns between his five rushes and five receptions in the first meeting with the Rams this season. Meanwhile, the 49ers used a similar blueprint with their versatile weapon in the regular-season finale, logging 45 rushing yards, 95 receiving yards and 24 passing yards, featuring two touchdowns. Samuel is the type of player the defense must pinpoint where he's lined up at prior to each snap due to his capabilities, however, what the Rams threw at San Francisco to stop their multiskilled asset, did little to no stoppage.

5. Cooper Kupp's historic season had a record in sight until the wheels fell off

Kupp finished one of the greatest single-seasons a wide receiver has put together in NFL history. He earned the receiving triple crown, leading the league in receptions (145), yards (1,947) and touchdowns (16). Additionally, Kupp was on the cusp of taking ahold of a record that belongs to Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson – the single-season receiving yards record. Kupp entered the game 136 yards shy of the threshold. Entering halftime with five catches for 84 yards, Kupp was on track to take possession of Johnson's spot in the record books. However, in the second half, after Stafford went 15-of-16 over the first two quarters, he was intercepted twice – once in the third quarter and another in overtime. The offense sputtered down the stretch and Kupp ended the game 18 yards shy but nonetheless, it was a year for the ages regarding everything Kupp achieved throughout the 17-game season.

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Nick Cothrel is the publisher of Ram Digest. Follow Nick and Ram Digest on Twitter @NickCothrel & @RamDigestSI for more Rams coverage.

Published Jan 10, 2022

NICHOLAS COTHREL

Nick Cothrel covers the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated.