Actual Results: TIE 24-24, 4th in NFC West (3-5-1)
Well, well, well, what a surprise. Coming of the bye week for both teams, the Rams and 49ers played a close one in Candlestick yesterday, in a game that could not be decided by the end of overtime. For the 49ers, the game showed just how dangerous St. Louis has become, and just how much they need to shore up before next week's MNF game. For the Rams, it was simply a mistake-filled game of missed opportunities. Questionable coaching, questionable officiating, and mind-boggling penalties abounded. The Rams had this game in hand, and simply lost it. Up 14-0 early, they let the 49ers bounce back and take the lead. The Rams managed to take the lead with a minute to go, but a questionable timeout right before the go-ahead touchdown allowed the 49ers a chance to come back. And that they did. But the teams could do little in overtime, missing field goals and generally sucking. An ugly game throughout.The Rams offense was surprisingly the best part of this game. Sam Bradford is starting to look more consistent, and shows that he can be this team's number 1 quarterback. Steven Jackson looked vintage Jackson early on, and Daryl Richardson provided the usual change-of-pace speed. The second touchdown drive was particularly impressive in this area of the running game. The o-line performed well in pass protection but got sloppy in run blocking as the game went on. Of course, their biggest drawback was the holding and false start penalties that stalled drives. Delays of game were also prevalent, and those simply killed a few drives. The Rams were constantly faced with third and longs later on, and if Bradford couldn't find Danny Amendola, it was a lost cause. Speaking of Amendola, thank god he is back, because the Rams really needed him for this game. Especially with deep-attack threat Chris Givens on the bench for violating team rules, the Rams could only establish a run game and short passing game. An 80-yard pass to Amendola was impressive, but nulled by a late penalty flag. Arguably a game-changing call.
Defensively, the Rams performed well against Alex Smith and company. But after Smith left with a concussion and Colin Kaepernick came in, I knew they were in for a long day. Kaepernick can extend plays much better than Smith can, and he can also escape the enclosing pressure around him. The Rams D-line can apply pressure well, but relies to much on the linebackers to contain any escaping backs. Time and again, the slow D-line is often left pursuing a speedy back to the second or third level of the defense, and that back frequently makes it to the first down marker before being brought down by fringe defenders. On designed blitzes, the Rams perform well, but coverage plays are frequently problematic. Granted, Kaepernick had an uncanny ability to pass in tight windows, but the corners made little effort to deflect the ball (partly because they were so far behind). The last drive was particularly draining. Over a minute to go is way too much time for the 49ers to simply move into field goal position. I knew they would be in trouble from the start, especially considering that the Niners almost scored a touchdown if they wanted to. If I were Fisher, I would've ran up the middle 4 straight times just to run the clock down a bit. The Rams must shore up their defense quickly, because the 49ers managed to establish both the run and, to some extent, the pass against the trailing Rams defenders.
Special teams...oh special teams. First, the good. The Rams successfully executed two fake punts to perfection, one of which extended the go-ahead touchdown drive late in the game. The kick coverages were exceptional, and managed to contain Ted Ginn pretty well. But special teams also had huge mistakes. Punter Johnny Hekker had his first shank of the season, allowing the 49ers good field position at a key time in the game. Greg Zuerlein missed a game-winner in overtime, partly because Hekker lost track of time (and thus took a delay of game penalty). Special teams definitely made big plays, but some were good and some were very bad.
Perhaps the story of this game was the running clock that the refs allowed during a measurement. The refs also made other questionable calls and non-calls, but I won't really go too much in depth with this. The only thing that matters is that the game ended in a tie, and if the refs brought that upon themselves and the leagues, so be it. But the outcome cannot be changed, and this game didn't really allow either team to take control in overtime. The Rams did hold their own against the tough 49ers, but they couldn't seal the deal either, and thus couldn't move up in the NFC West. A lot of missed chances abounded in this game. The Rams tied, but this felt like a loss...because they lost a game they should have won.
LOOKING AHEAD: The Rams face the troubled New York Jets at home, and that could be just what they need to get back on track. The Jets are still trying to identify themselves offensively, and they haven't been the same since their Week 1 outburst. If the Rams can control and put pressure on Sanchez, and keep the defense honest, they could pull this out. If they perform like they did against San Francisco, I see an easy win for the Rams at home.
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