The San Francisco 49ers have seemingly had the Los Angeles Rams’ number during the Kyle Shanahan-Sean McVay era. From 2019-2023, the 49ers won nine of 10 games in the series, with the lone loss being the killer
NFC Championship Game that sent the Rams to the Super Bowl.
But, there was a slippage last year as the 49ers had a down year, leading the Rams to sweep the season series and improve their winning streak to three over San Francisco.
That led us to last Thursday’s thriller, with both teams standing at 3-1 with a chance to take control of the NFC West. All factors were pointing against the 49ers. They were without Brock Purdy, Ricky Pearsall, and Jauan Jennings in addition to already-injured George Kittle, Ben Bartch, Nick Bosa, Brandon Aiyuk, Malik Mustapha, and more.
That’s why it was no surprise they were 7.5-point favorites on the road (though is it really a road game at Levi’s South?). And yet, the Mac Jones-led 49ers came out screaming, taking two 10+ play drives and getting an early stop to lead 14-0 midway through the second quarter. That lead became 17-7 at halftime, though the Rams fired back with back-to-back touchdown drives in the second half after the 49ers got a field goal on their first offensive possession.
Suddenly, we were in a back-and-forth game, with things tied up at 20 apiece. The 49ers had a go-ahead 59-yard field goal from Eddy Piniero with less than four minutes left, but things are never over with Matthew Stafford at the helm for Los Angeles.
The Rams quarterback had completions of 11 and 18 yards, and a Kyren Williams 20-yard run immediately got Los Angeles in the red zone. But, two plays later, a clutch forced fumble from rookie Alfred Collins at the two-yard line got the 49ers a miraculous stop.
Yes, the 49ers punted and the Rams came back with a field goal drive to send the game to overtime, but San Francisco persevered with a field goal of its own after starting with the ball in the extra frame. Just as he did at the end of regulation, Stafford made a big play, finding TuTu Atwell for an impressive 38-yard pass to get Los Angeles to the red zone yet again.
Of course, we know the story from there, with the 49ers stuffing the Rams on 4th & 1 to get a huge road victory and improve to 4-1 in an improbable way.
While it was only the fifth game of the season and not necessarily a make-or-break game, it was one of the more impressive 49ers victories in recent memory, and one that head coach Kyle Shanahan won’t forget for a while.
“There have been a lot of special ones,” Shanahan said the day after the game. “It is just the fifth game of the season, so as far as ramifications and stuff, you never know how that plays out. But, it was unusually exhausting, I think, just the competitive stamina that you needed for that game. Just as probably a player, a coach, a fan, everyone. I mean, just 84 plays or whatever it was and every one seemed like it mattered. Struggling to run the ball, but still knowing that you needed to to try to control that D-Line a little bit.
“All the things that went into it and just the injuries and stuff and overcoming so many things and guys making those plays at the end which were unbelievable. I think all that added up and made it one of the more special ones that you’ll definitely remember for a long time.”
Looking back at the Shanahan-McVay era, where does this win against the Rams rank over the last few years?
There’ve been some major victories over Los Angeles, with the playoff-clinching win in Week 18 of the 2021 season likely at the top, given that San Francisco needed that win to clinch a wild-card berth and that it went to overtime.
In that game, San Francisco was down 17-0 in the second quarter and needed a huge Jauan Jennings 24-yard touchdown with less than 30 seconds left to tie the game at 24 apiece. The 49ers then got a field goal in overtime, and Ambry Thomas had the clutch interception to seal the deal and get San Francisco into the playoffs.
Earlier in that season, there was also the 31-10 dominant win on Monday Night Football that turned around the trajectory of the season for the then 3-5 49ers. San Francisco was on the verge of a failed season, but went 7-2 the rest of the way with the two clutch wins over Los Angeles to reach the playoffs. They then beat the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers in wild games before the crushing 20-17 loss to the Rams in the NFC Championship Game.
The other game that comes to mind was the season after in 2022, where the 49ers were at a similar point in their season, standing at 3-4 after back-to-back losses. That included a meltdown against the Atlanta Falcons and a humiliating 44-23 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at home, which came right after the 49ers traded for Christian McCaffrey.
In dire need of turning the season around, the 49ers came out with a powerful 31-14 victory over the Rams in Week 8, with McCaffrey going for 149 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns in a must-win game. San Francisco went on to win 12 games in a row, despite going to its third quarterback with Brock Purdy before the ugly 31-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles when Purdy tore his UCL.
All of these victories were season-defining ones for the 49ers, just like this past week’s win could be. Each game included a 49ers team that defied the odds in one way or another, and they all led to some form of success the rest of the way.
With Thursday’s win over the Rams, the 49ers are now 3-0 in the division and 4-1 on the season, despite the numerous injuries they’ve faced so far. With a favorable schedule the rest of the way, there is a realistic chance that San Francisco could end up as a top seed, if not the No. 1 team, in the NFC this season.
Thursday’s game was not a must-win by any means. But, it provides that much more of a buffer for the 49ers, both in the playoff hunt and in the division the rest of the way. And it sure was a special one that the players and coaches will remember.
