The Rams (4-2, 0-1) fell to the 49ers 24-16 Sunday night at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Running back Darrell Henderson Jr. rushed 14 times for a team-high 88 yards in the loss. Quarterback Jared Goff was 19 of 38 for 198 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Wide receivers Robert Woods and Josh Reynolds were on the receiving end of Goff's touchdown passes; Woods finished with four receptions for 29 yards while Reynolds recorded two for 45 in addition to their scores. Tight end Tyler Higbee finished with a team-high 56 yards on three catches.
Defensively, linebacker Micah Kiser and safety John Johnson III each finished with a team-high 13 combined tackles.
The 49ers (3-3, 1-1) scored first and did so on the game's first drive, engineering a 6-play, 76-yard drive that ended with a 6-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to wide receiver Deebo Samuel for an early 7-0 lead.
Toward the end of the first quarter, 49ers running back Jerick McKinnon appeared to fumble the ball at the end of a carry, with Rams safety John Johnson III recovering. However, the original call was reversed upon further review by the officials, allowing San Francisco to maintain possession. San Francisco ended that same drive with a 44-yard touchdown pass from Garoppolo to tight end George Kittle to extend their lead to 14-0 with 14:14 left in the second quarter.
On the next possession, Los Angeles answered with a 10-yard touchdown pass from Goff to Woods. However, L.A. kicker Samuel Sloman's extra point attempt was blocked, leaving the Rams with an 8-point deficit midway through the second quarter.
That deficit increased to 15 after a 2-yard touchdown pass from Garoppolo to wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk with 1:47 left in the first half on the ensuing drive, which chewed 7 minutes and 16 seconds off the clock.
The Rams opened the second half with a 7-play, 48-yard drive which ended with a successful 42-yard field goal attempt by Sloman – the longest of his career – to cut the 49ers' lead to 21-9.
A 3-and-out midway through the third quarter by the 49ers gave the Rams another chance to reduce the 49ers' lead. On the ensuing offensive series, Los Angeles reached the San Francisco 2 and elected to go for it on 4th and goal from that spot, but Goff's pass was intercepted by San Francisco cornerback Jason Verrett.
The 49ers added a 49-yard field goal by kicker Robbie Gould extend their lead to 24-9 with 5:26 left, but the Rams responded nearly two minutes later with a 40-yard touchdown pass from Goff to Reynolds to trim their deficit to eight.
Having taken two of their three timeouts in the third quarter, the Rams had just one left as they tried to get one last defensive stop and in turn a chance to mount a game-tying drive. They used it with 2:33 left, then put the 49ers offense in a 3rd and 7 from their own 38 at the 2-minute warning, but an 11-yard pass from Garoppolo to Samuel after the break denied the Rams' offense their chance.
