Rams use big offensive night to beat 49ers

Jared Goff threw for 292 yards and three touchdowns and Todd Gurley ran for two TDs and caught another to help the Los Angeles Rams put up another big offensive performance with a 41-39 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night.

The NFL’s lowest-scoring team last year looks like a different outfit this season under firstyear coach Sean McVay thanks to vastly improved play by Goff after a rough rookie season as the No. 1 overall pick.

The Rams (2-1) have also been helped by the additions of receivers Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods and the playcalling of McVay as they have scored 107 points through three games. That’s the second-most in franchise history, trailing only the 119 by “The Greatest Show on Turf” squad in 2000.

This win didn’t come easy as the Rams nearly blew a 15-point lead, giving up two late touchdowns, fumbling a kickoff return and failing to recover an onside kick. But Los Angeles managed to stop a potential gametying 2-point conversion and then used an offensive pass interference penalty against Trent Taylor and a fourth-down sack by Aaron Donald to stop the Niners after the onside kick.

Boxing

WARD RETIRES » Light heavyweight champion Andre Ward is retiring from boxing with an undefeated record because he no longer has the desire to fight.

The 33-year-old Ward released a statement on his website Thursday titled “Mission Accomplished.” He says his body now cannot withstand the “rigors of the sport,” and he shouldn’t keep fighting if he can’t give it his all.

Ward has won all 32 of his fights, with 16 knockouts. He won the Olympic gold medal as a light heavyweight in 2004. Ward won the WBA super middleweight title in 2009 and unified that title in 2011.

He won the light heavyweight title in a unanimous decision against Sergey Kovalev in 2016 and then beat Kovalev more decidedly in a rematch in June that was stopped in the eighth round.

Golf

STANLEY, SPIETH OFF TO HOT START » Kyle Stanley and Jordan Spieth are off to strong starts in the Tour Championship with different goals in mind.

Stanley had four straight birdies on the front nine, then added two more late in his round for a 6-under 64.

Spieth had a 67, which kept him on track in his bid to join Tiger Woods as the only two-time winner of the $10 million bonus.