Rams face losing streak after one-sided loss to 49ers

SANTA CLARA — Depending connected however you look astatine it, the Rams’ bye this week comes astatine precisely the close clip oregon precisely 2 weeks excessively late.

They request a week disconnected to instrumentality a heavy breath, to remainder and heal, aft 2 of the worst games a expected Super Bowl contender could ideate playing.

The off-the-field chaos of the Rams’ caller large trade, large signing and large wounded was prelude to a messiness of a nonaccomplishment to the San Francisco 49ers astatine Levi’s Stadium connected Monday night.

With Matthew Stafford again throwing 2 costly interceptions to acceptable the tone, the Rams fell down aboriginal connected the mode to a 31-10 nonaccomplishment to the 49ers.

The Rams’ 2nd consecutive loss, their archetypal connected the roadworthy this season, dropped them to 7-3 and outgo them a accidental to propulsion into a first-place necktie with the Arizona Cardinals successful the NFC West.

It was their 5th consecutive nonaccomplishment implicit 3 seasons to the 49ers, who improved to 4-5 with their archetypal location triumph successful much than a calendar year.

The crippled promised thing caller for Coach Sean McVay’s Rams, who mostly person been bully astatine bouncing backmost from losses similar past week’s against the Tennessee Titans.

Monday marked the debuts of wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who was signed arsenic escaped cause aft agreeing to beryllium released by the Cleveland Browns. It marked the debut of extracurricular linebacker Von Miller, acquired successful a commercialized with the Denver Broncos. But it was besides their archetypal crippled without Robert Woods aft the dependable receiver suffered a season-ending genu wounded successful practice.

Instead of thing new, from the start, it was shades of the Rams’ unhappy caller past with the 49ers, which featured upsets, blown leads and tons of mistakes.

In going 0-4 against their oldest part rivals successful 2019 and 2020, then-Rams backmost Jared Goff produced much turnovers (four interceptions, 1 fumble) than touchdown passes (four).

Stafford was expected to enactment times similar those successful the past. But past week helium threw 2 bad, game-changing interceptions successful the 2nd 4th of the Rams’ 28-16 nonaccomplishment to the Tennessee Titans. And Monday, connected a cool, breezy night, helium threw 2 to 49ers information Jimmie Ward successful the archetypal quarter.

The archetypal came connected a heavy changeable intended for Beckham, whom he’d deed for 5 yards astatine the close sideline connected the Rams’ archetypal play.

Jimmy Garoppolo and the Niners had to spell 93 yards from there, but they did it connected an 18-play thrust capped by George Kittle’s 8-yard touchdown catch, the choky end’s 3rd conversion connected 3rd down.

The 2nd interception, connected the Rams’ adjacent possession, wasn’t Stafford’s fault. He deed Tyler Higbee successful the hands connected a abbreviated propulsion to the close side, but it bounced disconnected and consecutive to Ward. His 27-yard runback for a touchdown made it 14-0.

Higbee made amends with a bully drawback of a 10-yard touchdown connected a quick, 75-yard thrust featuring a 29-yard catch-and-run by Cooper Kupp.

Whereupon the 49ers, backed up by a punishment connected their kickoff return, added a 91-yard thrust to their earlier 93-yard thrust and scored an 8-yard tally by wide receiver Deebo Samuel retired of the backfield to spell ahead, 21-7.

The Rams ended the fractional by compounding the occupation of a stalled thrust by calling a fake connected what would person been a 35-yard field-goal effort by Matt Gay and seeing Johnny Hekker’s completion to Kendall Blanton travel up abbreviated of the archetypal down.

On defense, the three-wheeled sack instrumentality of Miller, Aaron Donald and Leonard Floyd didn’t occurrence close away. The lone sack of Garoppolo was recorded by information Taylor Rapp. Garoppolo completed his archetypal 11 passes earlier a misfire forced the 49ers to settee for a 50-yard tract extremity by Robbie Gould to spell up 24-7 precocious successful the 3rd quarter.

The 49ers (who controlled the shot for much than 39 minutes and convertede 8 of 14 third-down attempts) enactment the crippled away, and heaped embarrassment connected the Rams, erstwhile Coach Kyle Shanahan decided to spell for it connected fourth-and-6 from the L.A. 40 and Samuel turned a abbreviated walk from Garoppolo into a touchdown to marque it 31-7.

When the bully quality is that you don’t person a crippled this week, you cognize you’ve got problems.

The Rams volition instrumentality to signifier adjacent week with a batch to bash to get acceptable to look the Green Bay Packers (8-2) astatine Lambeau Field connected Sunday, Nov. 28.

More to travel connected this story.