The 10-5 San Francisco 49ers defeated the 12-5 Los Angeles Rams 27-24 following an overtime drama, snapping their five-game winning streak. Despite the defeat, the Rams captured the NFC West championship, thanks to the Arizona Cardinals being defeated by the Seattle Seahawks. Los Angeles is now set to host Arizona on Super Wild Card Weekend.
49ers did not tell their coaches or scouts their pick. They didn’t know the team was selecting Trey Lance until the pick was announced.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 30, 2021
Rams weigh in on loss
Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey appeared to be upset because of the loss. Keeping his answers very short, he said “we’ll see” when asked whether the Rams would reset for the playoffs after such a loss.
“We got to watch the film but it seems like they were running it a little more in the second half, but we got to watch the film,” said Ramsey on the 49ers gaining the momentum after halftime. The Rams defended well during the first half. They, however, did not manage to keep dominating after the break. Deebo Samuel and Elijah Mitchell led the 49ers to rack up 135 yards on the ground.
Head coach Sean McVay said the problem that led to the Rams being unable to finish after leading 17-3 in the first half was because they “didn’t get any efficiency running the ball and then we were having trouble protecting”.
“We weren’t able to run the ball at all,” said an upset McVay.
The Rams’ offensive line really had a rather poor display throughout the game. The returning Cam Akers and Sony Michel averaged only 1.7 yards per carry, while Matthew Stafford was continuously harassed, receiving five sacks throughout the match.
Due to the loss, the Rams could not celebrate their NFC West win, with McVay saying: “This is a tough feeling. Our guys did a good job being able to navigate through the season, to be able to still win the division. It’s a good accomplishment, but I don’t know that right now is the time to celebrate that.”
“You don’t want to take for granted the difficulty of winning a division title. At the same time, a loss never feels good,” said Cooper Kupp on winning the NFC West. “Our focus is really on next week, just being able to respond from this thing.”
49ers’ perseverance pays off
“I was like, ‘A lot of time up on that clock, boys,’” 49ers star tight end George Kittle told reporters about what he said to his team when the Rams took an early 17-0 lead on the 49ers.
The 49ers left the game victorious thanks to Robbie Gould’s 24-yard field goal with 2:45 left in overtime, followed by rookie Ambry Thomas’ game-ending interception.
“Getting off to a slow start and then coming back like we did, it took everything,” said quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who passed for 316 yards in the game. “We say that a lot of weeks, but this one really did. I felt it after the game. I know a lot of guys in that locker room did. It was worth it, though. It was one of those games you won’t forget any time soon.”
The 49ers will now prepare for their visit to Dallas while the Rams will host Arizona.