The San Francisco 49ers’ hopes of making a deep playoff run took a significant blow on Sunday, as they were defeated by the Los Angeles Rams 31-10. The loss, which came in front of a crowd of over 70,000 at SoFi Stadium, drops the 49ers to 3-5 on the season and raises serious questions about the team’s ability to compete with the top teams in the NFC.
From the opening kickoff, it was clear that the 49ers were in for a long day. The Rams received the ball first and quickly drove down the field, culminating in a 1-yard touchdown run by running back Cam Akers. The 49ers were unable to respond, as quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was sacked on the team’s first possession, setting the tone for a day filled with struggles on offense.
The Rams’ offense, on the other hand, was clicking on all cylinders. Quarterback Matthew Stafford threw for 243 yards and a touchdown, while wide receiver Cooper Kupp hauled in 11 catches for 121 yards. The Rams’ running game was also effective, as Akers and Sony Michel combined for over 100 yards on the ground.
Despite the struggles on offense, the 49ers’ defense was unable to slow down the Rams’ attack. The unit, which had been one of the strengths of the team coming into the game, was gashed for over 400 total yards and allowed the Rams to convert on 7 of their 12 third-down attempts.
One of the few bright spots for the 49ers was the play of wide receiver Deebo Samuel, who caught 5 passes for 97 yards and added 36 yards on the ground. However, even Samuel’s strong performance was not enough to overcome the team’s overall struggles.
The loss is a significant setback for the 49ers, who had been hoping to build on their momentum from last week’s win over the Chicago Bears. Instead, the team now finds itself facing an uphill battle to make the playoffs, with a schedule that includes several tough games in the coming weeks.
“We didn’t execute well enough,” 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said after the game. “We had some opportunities, but we didn’t capitalize on them. We’ll go back and look at the film, and we’ll try to get better from it.”
The 49ers will look to bounce back next week, as they host the Arizona Cardinals at Levi’s Stadium. However, with the team’s playoff hopes dwindling, the pressure will be on to perform.
