Not a single touchdown was scored, but the Los Angeles Rams picked up a crucial NFC West victory over the San Francisco 49ers, 12-6, on Thursday night.
The Rams moved to 8-6, while the 49ers dropped to 6-8.
Both quarterbacks, the Rams’ Matthew Stafford and the 49ers’ Brock Purdy, had fantastic performances in Week 14, leading many to believe this game would be an offensive one.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua, #17, walks toward the field before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium. (Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images)
Instead, with some rain in the first half not helping, both offenses were out of sync and made big defensive plays to thwart some of the game’s best weapons with the ball in their hands.
Only six points total were put on the board in the first half, with the 49ers’ Jake Moody scoring a 53-yard field goal on the team’s second offensive possession, and Josh Karty finally getting the Rams on the board with 1 more: 05 left in the match. half to make it a 3-3 match.
All other drives ended in punts – 11 to be exact – as the Levi’s Stadium crowd started muttering about the lack of a goal.
CAN PLAYMAKING WR PUKA NACUA KEEP THE RAMS IN THE PLAYOFF RACE?
As the second half started, back-to-back field goals made it 6-6, although the Rams were able to be the first team in the red zone with the ball all the way to the 49ers’ four-yard line. Yet no one found any dirt.
The Rams were able to get their first lead of the game after forcing a three-and-out, and Puka Nacuawho had two scores and over 170 yards in the last game, broke out for a 51-yard catch to immediately get back into 49ers territory.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, No. 13, throws a pass against the Los Angeles Rams in the second quarter at Levi’s Stadium. (Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images)
However, Los Angeles was unable to convert for a first down from two yards out, and Karty came on again and made his third field goal of the game.
Purdy and the 49ers offense was eager to respond, and the signal caller fired deep downfield to Jauan Jennings, another receiver who scored twice in Week 14. However, veteran Darious Williams was the recipient of the pass for an interception.
With head coach Kyle Shanahan in disbelief about how his offense was going, Stafford and head coach Sean McVay wanted to work methodically to run down the clock and hope they could close out the game.
That’s exactly what happened, as Stafford dissected a stellar 49ers defense and picked up key first downs in the passing game, while Kyren Williams also chewed up the yardage.
Karty scored his fourth field goal with just 20 seconds left, forcing the 49ers to score a touchdown for the win. With not enough time left to make that happen, the Rams moved toward big playoff chances, while the 49ers’ hopes became even slimmer than they already were.
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings, #15, looks to the sideline before a game against the Los Angeles Rams in the second quarter at Levi’s Stadium. (Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images)
Looking at the box score, it wasn’t too pretty, as Stafford went 16-for-27 for 160 yards, but Nacua was responsible for 97 of those on seven receptions. One shock, however, was that Cooper Kupp didn’t catch a single pass on three targets.
Williams also racked up 108 yards on the ground on 29 carries, leading the way on those scoring drives.
For the 49ers, Purdy went 14-for-31 for 142 yards with his interception, and George Kittle was his top receiver, securing four catches for 61 yards.
It’s also worth noting that Deebo Samuel Sr., who reported wanting to take the ball more after not producing his usual amount this season, had a shaky performance this season. He finished with just three catches for 16 yards and three yards on two carries.
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, No. 9, calls a play against the San Francisco 49ers in the second quarter at Levi’s Stadium. (Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Perhaps the only touchdown of the game would also have come when Purdy hit Samuel right between the numbers on a slant route with plenty of open field to work with in Rams territory. However, Samuel dropped it and the boos flooded the field along with the rain as 49ers fans knew what was said by their star who took part in this game.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports reporting on Xand subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
