The Los Angeles Rams made up for their unspeakable loss to the San Francisco 49ers a few weeks ago in a 42-26 win in Week 10. Los Angeles is set up nicely for a big matchup with the Seattle Seahawks next
week for sole possession of the NFC West.
Before we get too ahead of ourselves, it’s time to get into the good, the bad and the ugly from L.A.’s fourth straight win.
Actually, I’m sorry, but we have some extremely important business to tend to first (*clears throat*)—HAHAHAHAHAHAHA WHINERS, SUCK ON THAT AND HOLD THIS L!!!!!!!!!
Okay, with that out of my system, now we can officially get into it.
The Good
Rams started red-hot again and didn’t look back
Remember how I kept calling out the team in this column for its slow starts to games? I guess they finally decided to listen to me. You’re welcome, Turf Show Ramily!
The Rams have scored an opening drive touchdown in three straight games. Things could not have started out more perfectly for the group.
L.A. didn’t let its foot off the gas in the second half, which was good considering the Niners had briefly made things a little too close for comfort after halftime.
The Rams put up six touchdowns on their nemesis and decided to hang on to the ball this time, finishing with zero turnovers following two lost fumbles that doomed them in Week 5.
While the defense didn’t have its best game aside from playing strong run defense, the offense is getting more balanced by the week. The Kyren Williams-Blake Corum tandem combined for 129 yards and 2 touchdowns on 27 carries. That is the balance that makes Matthew Stafford thrive and is pushing him towards MVP honors.
Speaking of Stafford, he threw his 400th career touchdown pass, becoming the ninth quarterback to ever reach that mark.
What else is there to say about Staff? He’s playing the best he ever has. Davante Adams and Puka Nacua are keeping him playing like a young man, that’s for damn sure.
If the Rams maintain this level of balance and dominance, the NFC might be coming through SoFi Stadium in January. It’s not a stretch to say Los Angeles is the best team in the conference right now.
Christian McCaffrey held in check again
This season, the defense has held elite running backs Saquon Barkley, MVP contender Jonathan Taylor and Christian McCaffrey in check.
So what did they do for an encore against CMC? Oh, just gave him hell. McCaffrey’s effectiveness was mostly limited in the passing game early and often.
The All-Pro finished with 66 yards on 8 receptions. Fun fact: he has more production against the Rams as a receiver than a rusher this season:
- Receiving: 16 receptions for 148 yards and 1 touchdown on 19 targets
- Rushing: 34 carries for 87 and zero touchdowns (2.6 yards per carry)
Brian Robinson Jr. was the 49ers’ leading rusher, demonstrating again how far the run defense has come this season. L.A. has only allowed one 100-yard rusher in 2025, and it was the Ravens’ Derrick Henry. Unreal, given how rough the run D was a year ago.
The Karty might be over … get the streamers
Thiccer than a Snicker, it’s the Rams’ new kicker. That bar was straight cash homie.
Anyway, Harrison Mevis took over at kicker Sunday for the struggling Joshua Karty and fared well. He had the lowest possible bar to clear, but trust me, it’s nice (and a tad unusual) to see a Rams kicker do their job.
Mevis made all six of his extra point attempts against the 49ers. Although he didn’t attempt a field goal, Mevis did everything asked of him, which should bode well for his confidence in the future whenever he does have a high pressure kick to make.
I’ve also been super hard on Karty this season—we all have—but sitting on the bench for now could be the best thing for his career. He could use that time to work through his struggles and build his confidence up.
Until then, the Karty is over, and that’s cause for celebration.
The Bad
Defense didn’t break, but it bent a ton
As great as this game was for the Rams’ offense, the same couldn’t be said about the defense.
San Francisco, starting a backup QB and a team with injuries out the freaking wazoo, put up yards with ease on L.A.’s top-tier defense. The Niners finished with 393 total yards and finished 4-of-5 in the red zone, albeit turnovers and a brutal start to the game hurt them. Give them credit for getting within one possession on two occasions after the Rams went up by 21 in the first half. Had SF started faster, this game would’ve been a shootout.
Mac Jones has seemingly been the defense’s kryptonite this season, as he completed roughly 85% of his passes for 319 yards. All this after Jones had thrown for 342 yards in the first meeting.
Overall, the Rams have been incredible on defense this season, yet the Niners have given them issues for whatever reason. Maybe that’s the price of both teams being so familiar with each other. However, there are several things for Chris Shula’s unit to tighten up before the Seattle game.
The Ugly
None
This was a perfectly balanced game, as all things should be. Thanos would be proud.
