INGLEWOOD, Calif. – The Rams (1-2) secured their first win of the season in dramatic fashion, as kicker Joshua Karty's 37-yard field goal with two seconds remaining lifted them to a thrilling 27-24 win over the 49ers (1-2) on Sunday at SoFi Stadium.
Running back Kyren Williams' 4-yard touchdown run tied the game at 24 with 1:51 remaining. After forcing the 49ers to punt on the ensuing possession, wide receiver Xavier Smith returned the punt 38 yards to set the Rams up at the 50-yard line. Quarterback Matthew Stafford's pass intended for tight end Colby Parkinson drew a pass interference penalty that advanced Los Angeles further into San Francisco territory, and from there, L.A. was able to use a 6-yard run by Williams to run the clock down to 5 seconds and set up Karty's game-winning field goal.
Williams had 116 yards from scrimmage and three total touchdowns (two rushing and one receiving) in the win, while Stafford finished 16 of 25 passing for 221 yards and one touchdown.
Here is the complete game recap, presented by American Airlines:
The 49ers took an early 7-0 lead with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Purdy to Jennings at the end of the opening drive. Later in the first quarter, Purdy connected with Jennings again on a 4-yard touchdown pass to extend San Francisco's lead to 14-0 with 1:47 left in the first quarter. Meanwhile, Los Angeles' offense possessed the ball for just 3 minutes and 19 seconds in the opening period.
The Rams mounted a long scoring drive in the second quarter to cut their deficit to 7; a 16-play, 87-yard drive that lasted nearly 8 minutes and ended with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Stafford to Williams. That series was sustained by the successful execution of a fake punt, in which running back Ronnie Rivers Ronnie Rivers' 7-yard carry led to the conversion on 4th and 6 from inside their own territory.
Outside linebacker Byron Young's strip-sack of Purdy and defensive end Braden Fiske's fumble recovery with 31 seconds left gave the Rams a shot at potentially tying the game before halftime, but a sack for a 7-yard loss on first down derailed the possession.
Receiving the second-half kickoff, the Rams reached midfield but were forced to punt. On the ensuing possession, Purdy threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Jennings, extending the 49ers' lead to 21-7 with 7:01 left in the third quarter.
Los Angeles still kept fighting. Helped by Atwell drawing a defensive pass interference, it again reduced its deficit to 7 with a 3-yard touchdown run by Williams.
Similar to San Francisco's other scoring drives, an explosive connection from Purdy to Jennings helped the 49ers respond, but the Rams managed to limit them to a 26-yard field goal, making it 24-14 49ers with 11:57 left in the fourth quarter.
Stafford's 32-yard completion to Demarcus Robinson quickly moved the Rams into 49ers territory on the ensuing drive. The Rams were on the doorstep of scoring, reaching the 49ers 2-yard line on a 24-yard completion from Atwell to Robinson on a trick play, but the ruling was overturned after the 49ers successfully challenged. The Rams still managed a field goal out of it.
One play after 49ers kicker Jake Moody's missed 55-yard field goal, a 50-yard completion from Stafford to Atwell helped set up Williams' game-tying, 4-yard rushing touchdown, then Smith and Stafford helped the Rams complete the rally and set up Karty for the win.
The Los Angeles Rams take on the San Francisco 49ers for Week 3 at SoFi Stadium. Take a look at photos from the matchup!