While the Rams defeated the 49ers in the 2021 NFC Championship Game, they haven’t beaten San Francisco in the regular season since 2018.
Could Sunday be the day that it changes?
The Rams looked like they might go into halftime with a 17-10 lead. But penalties gave San Francisco the opportunity for a QB sneak to end the half, which Brock Purdy turned into a 1-yard touchdown.
That left the score tied 17-17 at halftime.
The Rams have scored on each of their first three drives, which means they’ve scored on eight straight possessions dating back to last week’s win over the Seahawks. Matthew Stafford was 14-of-18 passing for 143 yards with a touchdown in the first half, also rushing twice for 10 yards. With Cooper Kupp on injured reserve, Puka Nacua and Tutu Atwell have once again been the Rams top receivers. Nacua has caught seven of his eight targets for 66 yards. Atwell has four receptions for 55 yards.
Kyren Williams has scored two touchdowns — first a 6-yard receiving score that tied the game 10-10 early in the second quarter. Then he ran it in from 4-yards out with 1:45 left in the second quarter to give L.A. a 17-10 lead.
But on the ensuing drive, a pass interference penalty gave the 49ers first-and-goal at the 1. Then another facemask penalty put the ball half the distance to the goal.
With just six seconds on the clock and no timeouts, Purdy quickly threw an incomplete pass on first-and-goal. Then instead of just getting three points with a field goal, head coach Kyle Shanahan called a Purdy sneak. Purdy put the ball in the box to tie the game at 17.
Purdy is 11-of-15 passing for 121 yards. Christian McCaffrey has 11 carries for 88 yards with a touchdown, including a 51-yard run. Deebo Samuel has four catches for 40 yards plus a 17-yard run. He was shaken up late in the first half, but the 49ers did not announce an injury.
The Rams are set to receive the second-half kickoff.