A GREAT RED WALL
Unbeaten 49ers wallop Rams with 3 fourth-down stops, fierce pass rush
LOS ANGELES >> Of the 49ers’ five wins in five games to open this renaissance season, Sunday’s 20-7 victory best captured their defense’s downright dominance, as Jared Goff and the host Los Angeles Rams learned.
Making this victory even bigger: It was the 49ers’ first win against a NFC West foe, and it came against their in-state rival, the two-time defending division champions, who’ve now lost three in a row and fallen to 3-3.
The 49ers defense delivered a trio of fourth-down stops, including a goal-line stand, and
defensive coordinator Robert Saleh led the chorus of cheers among a bipartisan crowd inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
The 49ers (5-0) again won in imperfect fashion. Jimmy Garoppolo committed two turnovers (first-half interception in the end zone; fourth-quarter fumble), but that was of little consequence when his counterpart, Jared Goff, wilted under the 49ers’ pass rush. Goff was 13 of 24 for 78 yards, or 50 net yards when factoring in yards lost from his four sacks.
Coach Kyle Shanahan’s team won without four injured starters — offensive tackles Joe Staley and Mike McGlinchey, fullback Kyle Juszczyk and cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon — and it won with injured tight end George Kittle (eight catches, 103 yards) overcoming a groin injury.
“We had to use everyone and the guys toughed it out,” Shanahan said. “It makes it a lot easier when our defense plays that way, (the Rams) going 0 for 9 on third down, 0 for 4 on fourth down.”
With their offense controlling the ball and converting third downs, and with their defense ruling from every direction, the 49ers own a five-game win streak for the first time since Garoppolo debuted as their starter in December 2017.
Here are Sunday’s studs and duds who kept the 49ers rolling into next Sunday’s game at Washington (1-5):
Studs
GOAL-LINE STAND >> The 49ers’ best (only?) goal-line stand this year was sealed once they stopped Malcolm Brown for no gain on back-to-back carries from the 1. DeForest Buck
ner and Sheldon Day helped clog the lanes while D.J. Jones and Kwon Alexander got credited for those stops. Richard Sherman made a touchdown-saving stop at the 1 on second down. The bipartisan crowd cheered, and leading that chorus was defensive coordinator Robert Saleh.
GEORGE KITTLE >> He overcame a Friday groin injury to have a phenomenal first half: 7 receptions, 7 targets, 94 yards. Highlighting that was a 45-yard catch-and-run ended at the Rams’ 6-yard line with four defenders on him. He had a third-down conversion on the Niners’ first scoring drive, and his edge block helped spring Coleman’s TD run. He had only a 9-yard reception after halftime, and he shuttered at the notion of taking next game off to get healthier.
PASS DEFENSE >> The Rams’ first half produced their fewest net passing yards (22) under coach Sean McVay since 2017, and Jared Goff was under consistent pressure (7 of 8, 27 yards). The 49ers produced a thirddown sack on their first pass-rush opportunity. Dee Ford had a strip sack, and he shared a sack with Arik Armstead. Ronald Blair had a sack, as did Solomon Thomas in perhaps his best play as a 49er.
“There’s nothing more that I love than watching our D-line play,” Kittle said. “I was sitting there in the third quarter thinking about the day (in training camp) that Jimmy threw five interceptions, and how it might have had something to do with how our D-line was in his face for five straight plays. They’re pretty dang good. They’re fun to watch and definitely fire us up.”
ARIK ARMSTEAD >> Each game, he delivers a tideturning play, and this time he opened the second half by recovering a Rams fumble, setting up Garoppolo’s go-ahead touchdown sneak. JIMMY GAROPPOLO >> An interception in the end zone and a fourth-quarter fumble should qualify the QB as a “dud.” But he won, and he is 11-2 as the 49ers’ starter. Shanahan said he “wasn’t too upset” with the interception, because the Rams got away with grabbing Kittle, the intended target.
Garoppolo was 24 of 33 for 243 yards with no touchdown passes, though Tevin Coleman dropped one and Dane Pettis almost made a fantastic scoring grab. It was Garoppolo who put the 49ers ahead 14-7 with a third-and-goal, 1-yard sneak shortly after Armstead’s fumble recovery out of halftime.
“It’s always good to be undefeated,” Garoppolo said. “We’ve got to keep this thing going. It’s a good start but we’ve got a long ways to go.”
JIMMIE WARD >> Making his second straight start at free safety, Ward broke up consecutive passes from the 49ers’ 28-yard line to stop a Rams drive midway through the fourth quarter. “Jimmie’s a dog out there. We love Jimmie,” Shanahan said. “I’d wear his jersey on the sideline if I could. I love his mentality, I love watching him play.
“He’s had some unfortunate things with just not being able to stay healthy, but when he is healthy, he’s one of the better players. He plays extremely physical and is not scared of anything, he challenges guys in coverage and it’s been fun having him out there these two weeks.”
TEVIN COLEMAN >> His 2-yard touchdown run, complete with a desperate dive across the goal line, capped a 10-play, 75-yard drive that pulled the 49ers even at 7. Coleman used a righthanded stiff-arm to knock down safety John Johnson en route to the goal line. Not so studly: Dropping a wideopen, potential-touchdown pass on third-and-goal in the third quarter.
Duds
FADE TO RIGHT >> A fade pass to the right side of the end zone ended in disaster. What is this, the 2012 season’s Super Bowl? On thirdand-goal from the 1, Garoppolo lobbed a pass toward Deebo Samuel, who slowed up on his route and allowed Marcus Peters to intercept the pass 12:35 before halftime.
DONALD, DUCK! >> Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald figured to prey on the 49ers backup tackles, and he came through with two sacks, the latter of which forced a Garoppolo fumble after Donald slipped past Daniel Brunskill. Left tackle Justin Skule allowed a third-down sack on the first series.
ROBBIE GOULD >> He came up short on a 55-yard field-goal attempt to close the first half, and that sixth miss this season (13 attempts) matched the most in any of his 15 NFL seasons. Gould did make his ensuing fieldgoal attempts (25 and 34 yards), so his misses haven’t cost them, yet. MARQUISE GOODWIN >> A flea-flicker almost worked to perfection as Goodwin broke free down the left sideline, only to miss Garoppolo’s heave at about the Rams’ 15-yard line to open the second quarter. (Later, Goodwin did make an 11-yard catch just before halftime, and he supplied a third-down conversion catch just before the fourth quarter.)
INJURY WATCH >> Neither ailment seemed too serious to cornerbacks Richard Sherman (shoulder stinger) and K’Waun Williams (hand). Williams was replaced by D.J. Reed in the second half, and Sherman returned to finish the game. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel left with a quadriceps injury. EARLY RUN DEFENSE >> The 49ers gave up their first rushing touchdown of the season and fell behind 7-0 when the Rams opened with seven consecutive run plays. With Todd Gurley inactive, Malcolm Brown had five carries for 40 yards, and Robert Woods had the other two carries, including an 8-yard score around the left end. The 49ers entered with the No. 5 run defense (81.8 yards per game).
THE 49ERS’ RALLYING CRY >> “Don’t panic.” They took exception to the Rams’ opening act. “That definitely hit us on a personal level,” Buckner said. “It really sparked us on the goalline stand.”