The Rams and Niners met, Sunday with the playoffs on the line for San Francisco. The 49ers erased a 17 point deficit, on their way to beating the mighty Los Angeles Rams in a courageous overtime thriller. This was a game of two halves. The game started off looking like an easy day for Matthew Stafford, and company, jumping on top with a first-half 17-0 lead. Things turned quickly though. Down 17-0, the 49ers, playing at home, or at least it sounded like they were playing at home, stormed back. Garoppolo, battling an injured thumb, seemed tentative early on but came to life in the second half, leading his team to victory and a playoff birth.
The stout 49ers defense was a big part of their victory. They effectively contained Sony Michel all afternoon and pressured Stafford to make plays. He finished 21 of 32 for 238 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Odell Beckham Jr. was a non-factor. But, Cooper Kupp was his usual brilliant self, contributing 118 yards and one score. Tyler Higbee came up big, adding 55 yards and two touchdowns on the day. But, it wasn’t enough.
The 49ers’ Deebo Samuel proved too much for the Rams. He put up 140 yards combined receiving and rushing. He scored a touchdown on the ground and through the air hitting Jauan Jennings in the end zone, on a trick play, to tie the game, 17-17, late in the 3rd quarter.
The Rams went ahead 24-17 on Kupp’s 4-yard TD catch with 2:26 left to play. But Garoppolo led the Niners on a brilliant 88-yard drive, capped by Jauan Jennings’ 2nd score of the day to force overtime.
The Niners won the toss and Garoppolo engineered another long drive but had to settle for a field goal to take the lead. On the Rams’ next possession, the 49ers’ defense came up huge, intercepting Stafford a final time and securing a playoff spot. San Francisco players celebrated wildly on the field as did the substantial number of 49er fans on hand.
Despite the loss, the Rams still managed to win the NFC West thanks to an Arizona Cardinal loss to the Seattle Seahawks. The Rams will host the Cardinals in next week’s first round of playoffs, while the 49ers travel to Dallas to meet the Cowboys.
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