Kyren Williams and Joshua Karty will rightfully get much of the blame for the L.A. Rams’ loss to the 49ers on Thursday night. However, the defense should shoulder most of the outrage for last night’s debacle.
The Rams came out with absolutely zero energy against San Francisco, and much of that was reflected in the defense’s efforts, or whatever the hell you called that. How on earth could L.A.‘s defense be considered a “top-tier” unit when the Niners moved the ball with ease despite being without Brock Purdy, their top three wideouts AND George Kittle?
Backup Mac Jones looked the part of an elite quarterback, and it’s not like he was airing out the ball like crazy. Much of his yardage came on short passes, according to Next Gen Stats:
If the Rams already weren’t exposed enough in the secondary, especially at cornerback, then Kendrick Bourne ensured the rest of the NFL knew. The Bourne Identity—which is such a cool nickname that now I’m even madder because I didn’t think of it first—exploded for a career game.
Bourne caught 10 of his team-high 11 targets in the game. Everyone knew the ball was going to him as the night wore on, and yet he still couldn’t be stopped. Overall, the 49ers had 407 yards of offense and stepped up in key spots simply because Los Angeles had no answers all night. San Francisco went 7-of-18 on third down and converted all three of their fourth-down attempts, as they held the ball for just over 40 minutes.
Plus, L.A. made life comfortable for Jones, only registering one sack after coming into the game tied for second in the league with 14. Jones and company were also smart with the ball, not turning it over once. That allowed Jones and Bourne to perform like vintage Niners legends. Oh barf.
There is zero reason for the Rams to have played as poorly as they did defensively. There is just no excuse, but sure, let’s pile on Kyren Williams for doing what he does best: fumbling.
All the mistakes are unbecoming of a team eager to make a Super Bowl run. Perhaps the moment is still too big for these Rams, since contending teams usually do not lose games like this. Choking a big lead to the Eagles was bad enough, but given how much the 49ers were hurting entering Week 5, this was L.A.’s chance to at least temporarily kick their opponent while they were already on one knee, and they blew it.
Now the 49ers are likely well on their way to another playoff run, and it’s all the Rams’ defense’s fault, Karty and Williams be damned.
