The 49ers beat the Rams 31-14 at SoFi Stadium.
Los Angeles Rams #89 Tyler Higbee (TE) getting a block from his teammate #89 Rob Havenstein (RT) against a San Francisco 49er defender. Photo by CCN.
INGLEWOOD, CA - The San Francisco 49ers beat the Los Angeles Rams 31-14 at SoFi Stadium. Christian McCaffrey became the 11th player in NFL history to score a running touchdown, a passing touchdown, and a receiving touchdown in the same game. The 49ers also extended their four-year regular-season dominance over the Rams.
In the first half, McCaffrey tossed a 34-yard touchdown throw to Brandon Aiyuk, grabbed a touchdown pass from Jimmy Garoppolo in the third quarter, and then pushed the Niners (4-4) ahead with a touchdown run early in the fourth.
The 49ers scored 24 unanswered points to complete its eighth straight regular-season victory against its NFC West opponents, Garoppolo completed passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns.
In the end, McCaffrey ran for 94 yards and caught passes for 55 yards. The last player to score touchdowns on the ground, in the air, and through receptions did it for San Diego in 2005. His name was LaDainian Tomlinson.
In a trade for McCaffrey, the 49ers outbid the Rams (3-4) last week, and the dynamic running back showed Los Angeles just what it was missing. The Rams were torched by McCaffrey for the second time in as many games, as he piled up 158 total yards for the Panthers in the Rams' penultimate game before the bye.
Los Angeles Rams #10 Copper Kupp scored one touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers’ secondary. Photo by CCN.
Stafford's 1-yard run gave the Rams a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, using 9:21 off the clock, and 17-plays capped off the 88-yard drive for the Rams. The Rams led 14-7 after Stafford threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Copper Kupp in the second quarter.
The 49ers trail at halftime 14-10 after Robbie Gould kicked a 29-yard field goal.
San Francisco 49ers #85 George Kittle (TE) 7-yard touchdown pass from Christian McCaffrey in the fourth quarter. Photo by CCN.
The 49ers grabbed the lead late in the third quarter after trailing 14-10 at halftime despite McCaffrey's 34-yard TD throw. The Rams were trailing the 49ers 17-10 after McCaffrey caught a 9-yard touchdown pass from Jimmy Garoppolo.
Moments later, McCaffrey would score on a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter to give the 49ers a 24-14 lead, and George Kittle’s 7-yard touchdown catch made the final score 31-14. added a late TD reception to complete the Niners' dominance in the regular season over the Rams despite the absence of standout wide receiver Deebo Samuel due to injury.
San Francisco has won all other meetings since Los Angeles narrowly defeated them in the NFC title game at SoFi Stadium precisely nine months ago.
For the defending Super Bowl champion Rams (3-4), Matthew Stafford threw for 187 yards and scored his first running touchdown since 2016. The Rams are now under.500 for the third time in coach Sean McVay's history, all of which have occurred this season. Los Angeles mustered only 43 net yards in the second half and was shut out after halftime for the third time this season.
Since they started their new jobs one month apart in 2017, McVay has lost nine of his 13 games against Kyle Shanahan, who he worked with in Washington. When coaching against McVay, Shanahan earned roughly 21% of his 43 career regular-season victories.