Rams Secondary Woes Exposed After 49ers' Jauan Jennings Monster Game

Valentina Martinez | Sep 23, 2024

Sep 22, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams safety Quentin Lake (37) breaks up a pass for San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings (15) in the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Rams couldn't stop 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings on Sunday. Although the Rams clinched a 27-24 victory over San Francisco, Jennings' three receiving touchdowns revealed the shortcomings of the secondary.

Jennings was left wide open in the end zone for his first touchdown of the divisional showdown. By the end of the first quarter, the 49ers led the game 14-0 with a second score from Jennings.

The 77-yard, 13-play drive featured a defensive holding penalty on cornerback Tre'Davious White and a pass-interference penalty against safety Kam Curl.

It was evident Jennings and his quarterback Brock Purdy were in sync Sunday. The two connected for a 31-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Jennings was once again found wide open.

The score made it Jennings' third touchdown of the game. The wideout finished with 276 receiving yards on 18 receptions.

If it wasn't for Matthew Stafford and company stepping up on offense, the Rams would've lost their third consecutive game of the season.

Stafford completed 16 of 26 passes for 221 yards and a touchdown. Rams running back Kyren Williams rushed for 89 yards on 24 carries and two touchdowns. Williams also added two catches for 27 yards and a score.

Stafford led the Rams on two scoring drives in the final three minutes of the matchup. Both drives led to points in less than a minute. The comeback wouldn't have been necessary had the Los Angeles secondary shut down Jennings.

The secondary did manage to hold off 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk who was unable to make any sort of space between him and White.

The Rams were without Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, Steve Avila, Joe Noteboom, and Jonah Jackson on offense. Los Angeles was also missing Darious Williams and John Johnson III on defense.

Despite shortcomings from the secondary, the Rams managed to put together an epic comeback with a slew of starters missing.

"I see better than I hear. I saw a team respond after a really humbling week last week," Rams head coach Sean McVay said via the team transcript. "And three hours will never define you, good or bad, unless you allow it to, and we've got to do a good job of being able to build on this."

The win over San Francisco was scrappy. It was exactly what the Rams needed to turn the tide. One could argue that it was another round of hero-ball, which might be true. But it was extremely entertaining. The Rams needed this win.