INGLEWOOD, Calif. – The winless Los Angeles Rams were fresh off a 31-point loss and missing their top two receivers when they took the field Sunday against a rival that has dominated them for a half-decade.
The Rams then fell behind San Francisco by 14 points in the second half, and they still trailed by double digits midway through the fourth quarter.
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Although Matthew Stafford has seen plenty of crazy stuff in his 16 years in pro football, the Rams' thrilling 27-24 comeback victory ranks way up there — both for the way it happened, and for the heart his team showed in grim circumstances.
“I’m not into improbable, probable,” Stafford said. “NFL is an improbable business, I’ll tell you that much. You never know what’s gonna happen week in and week out. You've got to go out there and earn it and prove it, and we did that.”
Kyren Williams rushed 4 yards to score his third touchdown of the day with 1:51 remaining, and Joshua Karty hit a 37-yard field goal with 2 seconds left to complete the dramatic rally by Los Angeles, which outscored San Francisco 20-3 in the final 19 minutes.
The Rams (1-2) matched their franchise's biggest second-half comeback victory since 2006 while earning their second straight win over the 49ers (1-2) after losing nine of the NFC West archrivals' previous 10 meetings.
Williams caught a TD pass and rushed for two scores for the Rams, who avoided their first 0-3 start under Sean McVay in remarkable fashion. Stafford passed for 221 yards, and Tutu Atwell had four catches for 93 yards.
“I think there are the games where you bring just a little bit more juice,” Williams said. “Just the games where you can’t wait to play, when everybody’s doubting you and everybody’s (saying), ‘There’s no way the Rams are gonna win. The Rams are gonna start 0-3.’ We feel it for sure, but it’s something that fuels us.”
Jauan Jennings set career highs with 11 catches for 175 yards and three touchdowns for the 49ers, who blew a lead of at least 14 points for the first time since 2018. While the Rams have salvaged hope for their season, the defending NFC champions were left flustered, frustrated — and under .500 for the first time since Brock Purdy became their starting quarterback in 2022.
The Niners led 24-14 midway through the fourth quarter, but Jake Moody missed a 55-yard field goal attempt for San Francisco with 2:43 to play. Stafford hit Atwell for a 50-yard completion to the San Francisco 5, and Williams took it in two plays later.
Ronnie Bell then dropped a long pass with 1:02 left that would have put San Francisco in field goal range, and Xavier Smith — elevated from the Rams’ practice squad for this game — took his first career punt return 38 yards to midfield.
A 25-yard pass interference penalty against linebacker De’Vondre Campbell put the Rams in range, and their rookie kicker buried the kick.
San Francisco threw several laterals after time expired, but the final play died on the Rams' sideline.
Purdy passed for 292 yards in the Super Bowl favorites' second straight road loss after falling at Minnesota last week.
“Plenty of opportunities,” defensive end Nick Bosa said. “I can only speak for myself, and it wasn’t good enough. We’ve got to close them out when we have a chance. … It’s definitely a rough start, but we’ve been through some tough stretches before, but we just have to stay together.”
Both teams were missing most of their top offensive playmakers due to injury. The 49ers played without Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle, while the Rams were without Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua and Tyler Higbee.
Purdy focused on Jennings, who caught two scoring passes in the first quarter and another in the third to become the first 49ers wide receiver with three TD catches in a game since Terrell Owens in 2001.
The former seventh-round pick had more TD catches Sunday than he managed in the previous two seasons combined, and his total catches and yards were more than both of his two previous best games combined.
“Jauan was unbelievable,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “The numbers show it, but more than the numbers, he was a warrior the whole game. He’s always like that. Got a lot more opportunities today, and he was automatic on every single one.”
Jennings' most impressive grab was a leaping 32-yard catch over Quentin Lake to set up a field goal that put the Niners ahead 24-14.
Stafford didn't complete a pass until Atwell made a running grab with about eight minutes left in the first half. Williams then made a short catch and did a full front-flip somersault into the end zone.
Jennings caught a 31-yard TD pass midway through the third quarter. Williams responded by scoring a rushing TD in his sixth straight game, matching the franchise-record streak set by Marshall Faulk in 2001.
Injuries
49ers: LB Dee Winters injured his ankle in the first half of his season debut, but he returned. ... DT Javon Hargrave injured his triceps. Shanahan hopes it's a bruise.
Rams: Los Angeles didn't report an injury after losing multiple players to significant injuries in each of its first two games.
Up next
49ers: Host New England on Sept. 29.
Rams: At Chicago on Sept. 29.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL