Niners Nation
The San Francisco 49ers couldn’t have scripted a better start to the game. The offense, as expected, involved Christian McCaffrey early and often. They overcame two penalties en route to a Jake Tonges six-yard touchdown pass from Mac Jones.
Bryce Huff’s sack on the first drive from the defense forced a punt. Mac Jones did not slow down, leading a 17-play, 91-yard drive that took over eight minutes off the clock. Equally as necessary, the 49ers scored a touchdown to make it 14-0.
On the ensuing defensive drive, after the Rams had made it into 49ers territory, Sam Okuayinonu created some chaos in the backfield, leading to Trevis Gipson recovering the fumble. San Francisco had a chance to take a three-possession lead.
But Kendrick Bourne had other ideas. For the second week in a row, Bourne dropped a wide-open pass on third down. It felt like the game flipped on its head on that play. Sure enough, it did not take long for the Rams to march down the field themselves and score to make it 14-7.
The 49ers took over with just over two minutes to go in the second quarter. They needed to hold onto the ball, but also add points, as the Rams would get the ball to begin the third quarter. Despite Bourne lining up illegally and Skyy Moore forcing Kyle Shanahan to burn a timeout, Mac Jones led another impressive two-minute drive that took the entire clock.
Eddy Pinero’s field goal was good to give the Niners a 17-7 lead. San Francisco ran 41 plays compared to 23 plays run by the Rams in the first half. It’s tough for a potent offense to score when they don’t have the ball. Puka Nacua was limited to 24 receiving yards in the first half.
The 49ers had a coverage bust on third down, but were bailed out by a running back drop. Fred Warner was upset, seemingly with Sam O, for not running with the running back. So, the ball evens out, and Los Angeles feels what it’s like for a wide-open player to drop a pass.
To make matters worse, the Rams missed a field goal — something the 49ers have not had to worry about with Eddy Pinero on the roster. San Francisco needed to answer that turnover with points. The Rams aren’t a team that you can let off the hook twice.
A defensive pass interference on third down kept the drive alive for San Francisco. Bourne atoned for an earlier drop and a penalty after a pair of receptions the Niners needed. From the two-yard line, Shanahan elected to kick a field goal to make it 20-7.
It was only a matter of time before the decision to kick a field goal would come back to bite the Niners. Matthew Stafford continued to attack the inexperienced secondary of San Francisco. Marques Sigle allowed a 34-yarder on the drive. That poor kid can’t catch a break. Puka wasn’t quiet for long and ended...
