Rams overcome career game from Jauan Jennings, rally to stun 49ers 27-24

Enough star players were missing from Sunday's matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California that it wasn't a stretch to wonder if the game might wind up looking like a preseason affair. But the two teams produced plenty of fireworks on Sunday, with the Rams lighting a few more sparks in the end to snag a 27-24 win on a game-winning field goal with seconds remaining.

The 49ers held double digit leads on multiple occasions in the game and were up 24-17 with just over six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. But late-game heroics from the Rams combined with mistakes down the stretch from the 49ers allowed the Rams to come from behind and snatch their first win of the season on a 37-yard kick from rookie Joshua Karty right before time expired.

The 49ers were without three of their stars on offense in wide receiver Deebo Samuel (calf), running back Christian McCaffrey (Achilles) and tight end George Kittle (hamstring), while wide receivers Cooper Kupp (ankle) and Puka Nacua (knee) were the biggest names missing for the Rams. Wide receiver Jauan Jennings stepped up for the 49ers with the performance of his career, catching 11 passes for 175 yards and three touchdowns, while quarterback Brock Purdy completed 22 of 30 passes for 292 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions. Quarterback Matthew Stafford completed 16-of-26 passes for 221 yards and one touchdown for the Rams, while running back Kyren Williams chipped in with two rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown.

First Half

The 49ers began the game on offense and quickly put together a drive that suggested there'd be more action than expected on the day out of their shorthanded offense. The drive covered 70 yards in eight plays and took less than four minutes off the clock before Purdy connected with Jennings on a 13-yard touchdown to take a 7-0 lead. The 49ers got a boost on the second play of the drive when a 15-yard face mask penalty was tacked on to an 11-yard completion to wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, then after three runs and a short pass to running back Jordan Mason, Purdy found Jennings wide open in the end zone for his first touchdown of the season.

The Rams were held to a three-and-out by the 49ers on the next possession, then the Jauan Jennings show continued for the 49ers, who drove 77 yards in 13 plays to take a 14-0 lead when Purdy hit Jennings from four yards out with just under two minutes remaining in the first quarter. Purdy and Jennings hooked up on a 34-yard gain on a 2nd-and-15 earlier in the drive, then after a third-down pass interference call on the Rams kept the drive alive, the 49ers moved to the 1-yard line on a 9-yard completion to Aiyuk. Two unsuccessful runs from Mason put the 49ers in a 3rd-and-Goal situation, but Purdy was able to escape the pass rush on the play and fling the ball on the run to Jennings for the second consecutive 49ers touchdown.

The teams exchanged punts after the Jennings touchdown, then the Rams got their first points of the day after a 16-play, 87-yard drive that came with a twist -- a successful fake punt on a 4th-and-6 from the Rams' 43-yard line that gave them a first down at midfield. The Rams chipped away at the 49ers with a series of short plays to get to the 49ers' 15-yard line, then Stafford connected with running back Kyren Williams on a short pass that turned into a highlight play when Williams flipped over the goal line for a touchdown to cut the 49ers' lead to 14-7.

1:11 remained on the game clock for the 49ers as they took over at their own 30-yard line to start the next drive. They looked to be well on their way towards adding some points before halftime, but the Rams came up with the first turnover of the day on a strip sack by linebacker Byron Young that was recovered by defensive tackle Braden Fiske at the Rams' 44-yard line. The 49ers answered with a sack of their own from defensive tackle Maliek Collins, after which the Rams attempted a deep pass before running the clock into halftime.

The 49ers held an edge in total yards (170-126) and first downs at the half (14-8) while averaging 5.7 yards per play. The Rams were hurt by penalties in the first half (six for 60 yards) while narrowly trailing in time of possession (15:21 to 14:39).

Second Half

After a Rams punt to start the half, the 49ers took over at their own 9-yard line and engineered a smash mouth drive that ended with the third touchdown of the game for Jennings -- a 31-yard score on a 3rd-and-5 play to give the 49ers a 21-7 lead. The drive began with an incompletion followed by a nine-yard pass to Jennings, then seven of the next eight plays were runs by Mason, Purdy and rookie running back Isaac Guerendo. Jennings then got behind the defense on the 11th play of the drive and hauled in a perfect strike from Purdy to put the 49ers up 14 points halfway through the third quarter.

Jennings had even more tricks up his sleeve for the 49ers on the next drive, which included his most difficult catch of the day -- a 32-yard catch on the first play of the drive over the top of safety Quentin Lake that moved the 49ers to the Rams' 38-yard line.

Following an illegal block penalty on center Jake Brendel, Jennings and Purdy connected again for a 14-yard gain to the 32-yard line. After an incomplete pass intended for wide receiver Ronnie Bell, Purdy made a dazzling third down conversion when he escaped pressure and ran towards the sideline before making a dive for the first down.

Two runs from Guerendo after Purdy's conversion set up a 3rd-and-1 for the 49ers at the 18-yard line. Purdy attempted to run for the first down on each of the next two plays, with the second attempt notching two yards for the first down after no gain on the first attempt. An 8-yard run from Purdy moved the 49ers to the 8-yard line, but Mason was unable to get the 49ers a first down on the next two plays, which led the 49ers to settle for a 26-yard field goal from kicker Jake Moody to give them a 24-14 lead with just under 12 minutes left in the game.

The Rams started the next drive at their own 30 and quickly moved across midfield on a 32-yard completion from Stafford to wide receiver Demarcus Robinson, then they appeared to pick up a huge play when a wide receiver pass from Tutu Atwell to Robinson was ruled complete at the 49ers' 2-yard line. But the ruling was overturned after a replay, leaving the Rams at the 49ers' 36-yard line. The Rams eventually moved inside the 10-yard line but were driven back on a sack from defensive lineman Sam Okuayinonu, which led to a 33-yard field goal from Karty to bring them within 24-17.

The 49ers took over at their own 30 with 6:15 left int he game and ran 3:32 off the clock in a drive that featured three more completions to Jennings to go with runs from Mason, Guerendo and Purdy. They had the chance to go back up by double-digits on a 55-yard field goal attempt from Moody, but the kick sailed wide left and gave the Rams the ball at their own 45-yard line. Stafford and Atwell flipped the field on the next play on a 50-yard pass that put the ball at the 49ers' 5-yard line with two minutes remaining.

On 2nd goal, Williams tied the score at 24 with a four-yard run for his third touchdown of the game. Purdy and the 49ers took over with 1:51 remaining at their own 30-yard line, then moved to the 43 yard line before Ronnie Bell dropped what would have been a significant gain into Rams territory. Purdy was stopped on a third down scramble, which led to a punt back to the Rams. Rookie return man Xavier Smith fielded the punt at the 13-yard line and tore off a 37-yard return to put the Rams at midfield with 42 seconds left.

On the next play, the Rams moved into field goal range when linebacker De'Vondre Campbell was flagged for a pass interference penalty of 25 yards. The Rams ran the clock down to five seconds, then Karty connected from 37 yards out to give the Rams a 27-24 lead with two seconds left.

The final play of the game saw the 49ers move across midfield after a number of laterals, but the play fizzled out at the Rams' 35-yard line.

The loss dropped the 49ers to 1-2 on the season, while the Rams moved from the ranks of the winless and are now tied at 1-2 with the 49ers and Cardinals in the NFC West.

Game Notes: There was a dose of good news for the 49ers on the injury front in this game as safety Talanoa Hufanga made his season debut after suffering a season-ending ACL tear last season, while defensive end Nick Bosa (rib) and cornerback Charvarius Ward (hamstring, knee) were also active after dealing with injuries throughout the previous week... Bell's late fourth-quarter drop was one of six dropped passes on the game for the 49ers... Per the San Francisco Chronicle, Jennings became the first 49ers wide receiver to have 10 catches, 150 yards and three touchdowns in a game since Jerry Rice in 1995... The 49ers will be back in action next Sunday with a home game against the New England Patriots (4:05 p.m. ET/1:05 p.m. PT, FOX), while the Rams will be on the road for a 1 p.m. ET kickoff against the Chicago Bears (FOX).

Related News

• Notes from disastrous 49ers loss to Rams Niners Wire • Sep 22
• Rams pull out gutsy 27-24 comeback victory over 49ers Pro Football Talk • Sep 22
• Rams' late field goal caps rally to jar 49ers Touchdown Wire • Sep 22
• 49ers Drop Week 3 Matchup to the Rams; Five Takeaways from #SFvsLAR 49ers.com • Sep 22
• Instant analysis of 49ers' 27-24 loss to the Rams after late collapse The Mercury News • Sep 22
  May require subscription
• What we learned as 49ers waste Jennings' career game in loss to Rams NBCS Bay Area • Sep 22
• Studs and Duds: The 49ers' collapse can be tied to three players The Mercury News • Sep 22
  May require subscription
• San Francisco 49ers 24, Los Angeles Rams 27: Grades SI.com • Sep 22
• Kurtenbach: The 49ers' embarrassing loss to the Rams was months in the making The Mercury News • Sep 22
  May require subscription
• 49ers grades in brutal Week 3 meltdown loss to Rams NBCS Bay Area • Sep 22