SANTA CLARA, Calif. – In a one-score game with zero touchdowns in the fourth quarter, one turnover can be the difference in a game. And on a rainy Thursday night in the bay, it was.
When 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy threw up a prayer down the field to Jauan Jennings from Los Angeles' 33-yard line, cornerback Darious Williams went straight for the ball. Purdy's pass sailed well past Jennings and Williams caught it in stride before sliding down in the end zone to give the Rams a much-needed change of possession with a three-point lead.
"He just ran a curl pump. We kind of (had) been seeing it," Williams said. "I didn't actually think he was gonna throw it, though, so he threw it up, and I was able to just get my head around, make a play on it."
The Rams proceeded to run 4:56 off the clock on a 13-play drive that ended in Joshua Karty's fourth field goal of the game and all but sealed the victory. San Francisco was left with just 18 seconds, and Los Angeles came out victorious in a must-win divisional game. At 8-6, they would overtake Seattle for first place in the NFC West with a Seahawks loss to Green Bay on Sunday.
Williams allowed three catches for 44 yards on six targets and a 34.7 passer rating when targeted, according to Pro Football Focus. The Rams held 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy to 147 passing yards (his second-lowest total of the season) while completing 45.1% of his attempts (his lowest of the season).
Williams said he and fellow cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon – who also performed well with two pass breakups – fed off each other all game long. With cornerback Cobie Durant out with an injury, they knew it was their responsibility to lock down their respective sides of the field, and they did just that.
"We know it kind of comes down to us, right? So San Fran, they like to just kind of set us up, hit a couple big plays across the middle. And our game plan today was just to get hands on, be aggressive as we can," Williams said.
That interception was just the second for a Rams cornerback all season, and it couldn't have come at a better time. The Rams had a 44% win probability before that play, according to Next Gen Stats. That jumped to 76% after the pick, which was his first since Week 13 of last season.
"I mean, we got hands too," Williams said with a laugh. "No, it is pretty tough (to track that ball), especially in the lights, especially, the way he put it, he kind of threw it over our shoulder, over our head. So, luckily, I was just able to keep my eyes and track it."
