The Los Angeles Rams had limited time to prepare for their Week 5 game, a Thursday night matchup with a familiar foe, the San Francisco 49ers. Both teams were banged up, but it was the 49ers who were ravaged by injuries. They came into this one without Brock Purdy, Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings, leaving Mac Jones with a makeshift supporting cast on offense.
The Rams came out flat and struggled badly on defense early on before finding their footing in the second half, but the 49ers kept their foot on the gas and tried not to let Los Angeles back in it after trailing for the entire game. Eventually, the Rams knotted things up with 10:39 left in the fourth quarter on a Kyren Williams touchdown reception, tying it at 20.
The 49ers took a late lead with a 59-yard field goal with 2:52 left in the fourth quarter, but the Rams didn’t go quietly. Even after Kyren Williams fumbled at the goal line with under 2 minutes to play, the Rams got the ball back and wound up tying it at 23 thanks to Joshua Karty’s 48-yard field goal with 2 seconds left.
In overtime, the 49ers struck first with a 41-yard field goal that glanced off the left upright, taking a 26-23 lead. The Rams were aggressive on their possession, going for it on fourth-and-1 from the 49ers’ 11-yard line, but Williams was stuffed at the line and the game was over.
It was a disappointing loss for the Rams, especially given all the injuries San Francisco was dealing with. Here’s what you need to know from this Week 5 battle.
Final score: 49ers 26, Rams 23
Numbers to know
2.6: The Rams held Christian McCaffrey to just 57 yards on 22 attempts, an average of only 2.6 yards per carry.
14: Nate Landman led the team with 12 tackles, one of which went for a loss.
8: Matthew Stafford moved into eighth place all-time in career completions, passing Philip Rivers.
52: Puka Nacua broke the NFL record for the most catches in a player’s first five games, surpassing Cooper Kupp’s previous mark of 49 by hauling in 52 passes, including 10 on Thursday night.
83: The Rams defense was on the field for 83 plays, which is 19 more plays than Los Angeles’ offense ran.
40:04: The 49ers had the ball for more than 40 minutes of this game, leaving the Rams with only 26:20 in time of possession.
2: The Rams fumbled the ball twice, both in 49ers territory, which were their only two turnovers of the game.
0: The Rams still have not allowed a single rushing touchdown this season, and the 49ers have yet to score a touchdown on the ground.
319: After halftime, the Rams put up 319 yards of total offense after having just 137 in the first half.
It was over when…
… Williams was stuffed at the line on fourth-and-1 in overtime. The Rams were aggressive and wanted to play for the win, which is understandable, but the play did not work and Williams was stonewalled in the backfield.
Between that play and his fumble at the 1-yard line, the Rams couldn’t get out of their own way.
3 stars of the game
Play of the game
With the Rams needing a field goal to tie or a touchdown to take the lead, Matthew Stafford chucked one deep to Tutu Atwell, which was hauled in for a 38-yard gain to the 49ers’ 20-yard line. It put the Rams in FG range in overtime, a massive play in the game at a crucial moment.
What’s next?
The Rams will have a mini bye following their Thursday night game, and they could use it. Several players are banged up and will get a few extra days of rest before traveling to Baltimore to take on the Ravens in Week 6. The Ravens may not have Lamar Jackson as he deals with a hamstring injury, so it could be Cooper Rush under center for Baltimore next Sunday.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams fall to shorthanded 49ers, 26-23: Instant analysis of Week 5 loss
Reporting by Cameron DaSilva, Rams Wire / Rams Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
