Unbeaten: Defense shuts down Los Angeles

L OS A N GE L E S » Jimmy Garoppolo passed for 243 yards and ran for a touchdown, and the San Francisco 49ers remained unbeaten with a dominant defensive performance in a 20-7 victory over the struggling Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.

George Kittle had eight catches for 103 yards for the Niners (5-0), who held Los Angeles’ once-unstoppable offense to 165 yards in coach Kyle Shanahan’s first victory over Rams coach Sean McVay in a game in which both of these NFC West rivals were playing their starters.

These longtime coaching colleagues’ teams are going in opposite directions after this one-sided showdown at the Coliseum. San Francisco used its possession offense and a sturdy defense to stay alongside New England as the NFL’s only unbeaten teams, while the Rams (3-3) are on their first three-game losing streak of McVay’s 2½-year tenure.

Tevin Coleman rushed for an early touchdown for San Francisco, while Garoppolo was mostly effective despite two turnovers. The Niners didn’t score a touchdown in the final 27 minutes, but they’re off to their fourth 5-0 start in franchise history, and their first since 1990.

With Todd Gurley sitting out to rest his bruised thigh, Los Angeles couldn’t move the ball in its least productive performance of McVay’s tenure. Robert Woods rushed for a touchdown on the opening drive for the Rams, who then managed 48 net yards on their next eight drives combined.

L.A.’s Jared Goff went 13 of 24 for a career-low 78 yards.