5 Takeaways From the 49ers' Thrilling 26-23 Overtime Win Against the Rams

It got scary in the end after a hot start for the San Francisco 49ers, but they pulled out a gritty 26-23 victory in overtime over the Los Angeles Rams.

Oct 2, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end Jake Tonges (88) reacts after making a touchdown catch against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

What a game.

It got scary in the end after a hot start for the San Francisco 49ers, but they pulled out a gritty 26-23 victory in overtime over the Los Angeles Rams.

The 49ers improve to an astounding 4-1 record. Let's get right into the five biggest takeaways from the 49ers' overtime win.

49ers are putting the NFC on notice

Oct 2, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (12) attempts to make a catch against San Francisco 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir (2) during the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The 49ers, on a short week with endless injuries, went on the road to face one of the strongest teams in the NFC and won. I know it got scary there after leading 17-7 at halftime, but the Rams aren't a joke.

They are a solid football team, and the 49ers went into their house, although it's basically a home 49ers game, and beat them undermanned.

It's time to take the 49ers seriously as playoff contenders. Forget that they have two wins over two average/mediocre opponents. They are the real deal.

Under no circumstance should the 49ers have won that game. It just goes to show how different a team that they are from 2024, because they weren't winning this game last year.

This was a statement win for the 49ers. Now, they get some much-needed rest. Hopefully, some players get healed up so that they increase their chances of improving to 5-1.

Mac Jones is tougher than nails

Oct 2, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Mac Jones (10) drops back to pass against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

If you look up the definition of toughness, a picture of Mac Jones will appear. He finished playing this game despite aggravating his knee when he was hit in the third quarter.

No one would've blamed him for coming out of the game. Yet, he stuck it out and balled out. Jones played extremely well in this game, which is insane.

He had to play without Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings. It seemed like a lock that he would struggle. But not only did he not struggle, he was a driving force in the offense, being efficient.

He made Kendrick Bourne look great in this game. It's crazy how much better the offense looks with Jones over Brock Purdy, and it's largely due to his ability to get the ball out of his hands promptly.

Marques Sigle should be benched

Oct 2, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams tight end Colby Parkinson (84) attempts to make a catch over San Francisco 49ers safety Marques Sigle (36) during the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

It's time to bench rookie safety Marques Sigle. I'm all for allowing rookies to play through their mistakes, but that's only if they're improving from it. Even if it's a slow improvement.

That's not happening with Sigle's pass coverage. He's more than fine when it comes to run defense and breaking on runners, but his coverage ability is lackluster.

Sigle is always in a position to make a play on the ball. Yet, once he's there, he doesn't do anything. Look no further than when he failed to intercept a pass at the 10:49 mark in the fourth quarter.

He was right there and completely whiffs it. It's like he has no idea what to do. Had Sigle secured that pick, it would've prevented a touchdown on the very next play. Pull the plug on him as soon as possible.

Blitz or bust

Sep 28, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh (in red) reacts to a penalty during the third quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

With Nick Bosa out, Robert Saleh has a new defensive plan to generate a pass rush. It's blitz or bust. Either the blitz is going to get there for a pressure, hit, or sack, or it's going to leave an open zone.

There is no in-between. The 49ers are in dire straits with their pass rush. Mykel Williams and Bryce Huff can't make a significant impact without there being a pass rusher to draw attention.

If the 49ers had an elite secondary, they could get away with it. Nevertheless, the 49ers have to trade for a pass rusher, like Trey Hendrickson.

They can't continue to field this defense without a threatening pass rush. It's not even about making a move for the playoffs; it's about making a move to get back to being an adequate pass-rushing unit.

Running game is broken

Oct 2, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) rushes the ball against Los Angeles Rams safety Kam Curl (3) during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Never in a million years would I have seen the day when a Kyle Shanahan offense would be inept running the football through five games. Well, here we are.

It's been five games, and the 49ers' offense still has no clue how to run the football efficiently. You can't say Christian McCaffrey has lost a step when he has little to no running lanes to work with.

But that doesn't mean he's totally exempt from blame either. The run-blocking woes are an extreme issue for the offensive line, but it's also the tight ends and the wide receivers.

The 49ers love stretch runs, which means their tight ends and receivers have to be excellent with their blocks. They are struggling to execute as well. Until this cleans up, the run game will remain broken.

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