In what certainly looked like a matchup between arguably the best team and arguably the worst team in the league, the San Francisco 49ers were blown out by the Los Angeles Rams 39-10.
Reflections on San Francisco 49ers Week Seven Loss to L.A. Rams
The 49ers have fallen to 1-6, and in a season that has been absolutely plagued by injuries, this campaign can be viewed most favorably as a learning experience in resiliency.
It was the first game in a while that the 49ers didn’t have a viable opportunity to win the game towards the end, which makes it frustrating in a different way.
This wasn’t a case of missed opportunities to capitalize but simply a team being completely outmatched by a far-superior squad.
49ers Continue Their Turnover Woes
The 49ers once again showed their propensity to turn the ball over, and they aren’t talented enough to overcome moments when they shoot themselves in the foot.
The fact that their defense is also not generating takeaways exacerbates the issue, and they find themselves constantly losing the field position battle with costly giveaways. At least a punt can force the opposing offense to start deep in their own zone. San Francisco often gives up the ball and their opponent is already nearly in field goal range.
The team committed four turnovers against the Rams, not including their turnover on downs towards the end of the fourth quarter when the game was out of reach. C.J. Beathard committed three of them, and Matt Breida committed the other one.
If the 49ers are going to find a way to win a game again, the main thing they have to stress is securing the ball. Turnovers are a quick way to let any game get away.
Breida Hurt Again
Breida rolled his ankle during this game, and the concerns about his durability prolong. Breida came into this game leading the league in yards per rush, but he can’t seem to stay on the field.
Raheem Mostert had some nice carries this game to lead the 49ers with 59 yards. He carried the ball seven times and averaged 8.4 yards per rush.
As a team, the 49ers had 107 rushing yards and averaged 4.5 yards per rush despite Breida not being able to play the full game.
Beathard Regresses after Solid Game in Green Bay
It’s a moot issue that Beathard occasionally looks like he has a good grasp of the offense and is capable of marching the team down the field. As long as he commits multiple turnovers as he did against the Rams, he’s never going to be able to consistently put his team in a position to win. Los Angeles scored 24 points off turnovers, without giving it away once, to keep them as the only undefeated team in the NFL.
Beathard definitely regressed this game after showing progress last week against the Green Bay Packers, finishing 15/27 for 170 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions and a 56.1 passer rating. Both of his interceptions were capitalized on by the Rams in the form of touchdowns, and the Rams defense was able to provide the Rams offense with decent field position throughout this game.
The first interception was picked by Troy Hill in the second quarter, and then the Rams offense marched 60 yards in eight plays capped off by a 19-yard touchdown catch by Brandin Cooks. The second interception was made after a great play by John Johnson to jostle away the pass from Kittle and secure possession. The Rams took over on offense and went 27 yards on three plays capped off with a 1-yard touchdown run by Todd Gurley.
49ers Offensive Line Overwhelmed by Rams Pass Rush
Beathard is prone to turnovers even when he’s not getting destroyed by the opposing pass rush, so it’s a recipe for disaster when a team is able to torment him as much as the Rams front seven did this game. The Rams sacked him seven times. Aaron Donald had four of those sacks, Cory Littleton had two, and Samson Ebukam had the other. Ebukam delivered a huge hit to Beathard from behind in the first quarter, deflecting the ball into the air that eventually got caught by Trevon Young.
It looked originally like it might be ruled as an interception, but it was ruled a fumble instead. Regardless, it was a costly turnover.
Not only did Littleton have two sacks, but he also caused a safety when he blocked a punt that rolled out the back of the end zone early in the second quarter. There were actually two blocked punts in this game, the second of which came in the fourth quarter when Mark Nzeocha blocked the Rams punt.
By that time the game was out of reach, though, as Jared Goff had been taken out of the game and replaced by Sean Mannion.
The Rams were basically content to run the clock out at that point, as Mannion didn’t attempt any passes in this appearance.
The Littleton sack in the first quarter knocked the 49ers out of field goal range, illustrating the importance that a good pass rush can have on the final outcome of a game. Those three points didn’t matter in this specific game, but plays like that can often be the difference between a win and a loss.
Donald really showed why he’s the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and one of the scariest defensive weapons in the NFL. Donald not only sacked Beathard four times but had an incredible strip fumble on Breida in the first quarter that he also recovered.
It’s hard to accurately assess blame on the 49ers side for Beathard being sacked this often. Sometimes Beathard held onto the ball too long, and other times the offensive line just looked overwhelmed by an elite pass rush.
Gurley Explodes for Huge Game
The Rams not only have one of the most valuable players on the defensive side of the ball, but they also possess one of the most potent offensive weapons in Gurley.
It has been a remarkable year thus far for Gurley, and he continued his strong performance by scoring two rushing touchdowns and adding a receiving touchdown this game. Gurley had 15 carries for 63 rushing yards to go with four catches for 23 receiving yards, and he dominantly capped off drives that were often set up by 49ers turnovers.
Despite his stat line, the superstar rusher didn’t even lead his team in rushing yards. That honor went to Malcolm Brown, who had 13 carries for 65 yards.
Rams Offense is Efficient
The Rams as a team had 146 rushing yards and were able to win the time of possession battle 32:51-27:09 thanks to efficiency on the ground and through the air. Goff went 18/24 for 202 yards, 8.4 yards per pass attempt, two touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 127.4 passer rating. Their balanced offensive attack gained 20 first downs in the game, 10 of which came on the ground and 10 of which came through the air. They were also able to convert third downs to prolong drives, going 5-12 on third down conversions during the game.
Robert Woods led the team in both catches and receiving yards against a 49er secondary that has been banged up, hauling in 78 yards on five catches. Cooks had himself a productive game as well, catching four passes for 64 yards and a touchdown in the second quarter.
Injuries Continue to Hit 49ers Defense
The 49ers secondary was hobbled coming into this game, as Richard Sherman and Jimmie Ward were not able to play. The problems got worse during the game, though. Adrian Colbert was carted off the field in the third quarter after falling awkwardly on his leg defending a deep pass from Goff.
Teams with strong passing attacks that will play the 49ers in the near future are likely planning to exploit how thin the secondary has gotten due to all these injuries.
As if this defense wasn’t already dealing with enough injuries, linebacker Reuben Foster also suffered a sprained shoulder this game.
These are going to be key injuries to monitor going forward, as it might force the 49ers to really see how deep their team is if unexpected players are forced to step up and play larger roles than anticipated.
Kittle Has Another Great Game
While the passing game for the Rams looked dynamic, the only bright spot for the 49ers in their passing game was George Kittle. He led the team with five catches, 98 receiving yards and scored the only touchdown of the game for the 49ers in the second quarter.
Kittle is continuing to prove that he can be an important building block on this offense in the coming years with his great athleticism and his ability to generate yards after the catch.
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