49ers @ Rams NFC Championship Live Blog

This is the live blog for the NFC Championship between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams. I will update this frequently with information and analysis from my living room, because I have Covid.

2:11 Here are the 49ers inactives:

Mohamed Sanu

Jeff Wilson Jr.

Nate Sudfeld

Marcell Harris

Deommodore Lenoir

Aaron Banks

Maurice Hurst

This means Trent Williams is active and will start despite suffering a Grade 2 high ankle sprain in his right leg last Saturday in Green Bay. This is a heroic effort from Williams, as these injuries are extremely painful and typically take four to six weeks to heal. That's why I'm so interested to see how Williams performs with this injury. He suffered it during the 49ers' first drive of the third quarter against the Packers and and limped through the rest of the game. It's possible he'll play but will be ineffective, and it's possible he won't finish. It's also possible he'll play well, because he's the best in the world at his position.

The 49ers are remarkably healthy for this time of the season. The only key member of the team who's out is Jeff Wilson Jr. That means Elijah Mitchell and Deebo Samuel will get most or all of the carries. JaMycal Hasty probably will be the third-down back, and Trey Sermon could get some playing time if one of those three players ahead of him gets injured. The 49ers should be just fine without Wilson as long as they commit to running the ball.

3:17 The Bengals just beat the Chiefs 27-24 on a last-second field goal. The winner of the NFC Championship will play Cincinnati.

3:40 The 49ers win the toss and defer, just like the last time they faced the Rams and won.

FIRST QUARTER

3:43 On 3rd and 3 from the Rams 32, Matthew Stafford throws behind Odell Beckham who drops the pass, and the Rams go three and out. The 49ers take over at their 20 after the punt.

3:47 On 3rd and 7 from the 49ers 23, Garoppolo sails a pass over the head of George Kittle who was wide open deep down the seam. Should have been a big play. Garoppolo had all the time in the world to throw and just missed it. The Rams take over at their 33 after the punt.

3:56 On 3rd and goal from the 3, K'Waun Williams tips the ball away from Cooper Kupp and Jimmie Ward intercepts it in the end zone and returns it to the 49ers 23. The Rams needed to play a clean game, and the already failed at that objective.

4:03 On 3rd and 6 from the Rams 40, Garoppolo throws a pass off his back foot intended for Brandon Aiyuk, who's double covered, and nearly gets intercepted by linebacker Troy Reeder. The 49ers punt, Trent Sherfield keeps the ball from bouncing into the end zone and Ross Dwelley downs it at the Rams 3.

SECOND QUARTER

4:25 On 3rd and 13 from the 49ers 16, Ambry Thomas gives up a touchdown catch to Cooper Kupp, who ran a deep out route against two-deep zone coverage. Big play.

49ers 0, Rams 7.

4:33 On 2nd and 12 from the Rams 44, Garoppolo throws a screen pass to Deebo Samuel who breaks a million tackles and scores a touchdown. He does that every week.

49ers 7, Rams 7.

4:47 On 3rd and from the 49ers 36, Stafford throws a deep pass out of bounds. It was intended for Beckham, who was covered well by Ambry Thomas. Next play, the Rams miss a 54-yard field goal attempt. The 49ers take over at their 44 with 1:50 and three timeouts left in the half.

4:58 Robbie Gould makes a 38-yard field goal as time expires in the first half.

49ers 10, Rams 7.

THIRD QUARTER

5:21 On 3rd and 9 from the Rams 43, Garoppolo's pass gets tipped and falls incomplete. The Rams take over at their 11 after the punt.

5:31 On 4th and 1 from the 49ers 43, Stafford attempts a quarterback sneak and comes up one yard short. That's another turnover.

5:46 On 2nd and 11 from the Rams 16, Garoppolo hits a wide open Kittle for a touchdown. Beautiful play design by Kyle Shanahan. Terrific pass protection. Excellent throw.

49ers 17, Rams 7.

FOURTH QUARTER

5:55 On 3rd and 1 from the 49ers 11, K'Waun Williams gives up a touchdown catch to Kupp. Williams wasn't even close.

49ers 17, Rams 14.

6:03 On 3rd and 2 from the Rams 45, Garoppolo hands off to Kyle Juszczyk who gains no yards. McVay challenges the play. He thinks Juszczyk fumbled.

6:07 The officials uphold their ruling. No fumble. The Rams are out of challenges and timeouts. They take over at their 15 after the punt. There's 9:55 left.

6:13 On 3rd and 3 from the 49ers 18, Stafford completes a screen pass to Sony Michel, who gets tackled for a 4 yard loss by Fred Warner. Then the Rams make a 40-yard field goal and tie the game. That drive was made possible by a dropped interception by Jaquiski Tartt and a 15-yard penalty by Jimmie Ward.

49ers 17, Rams 17.

6:21 On 2nd and 15 from the 49ers 20, Garoppolo scrambles right and throws the ball directly to Jalen Ramsey, but Ramsey drops another interception. The 49ers punt two plays later. The Rams take over at their 39 with 6:26 to go.

6:31 On 2nd and 11 from the 49ers 13, Samson Ebukam sacks Stafford for a 7-yard loss. Huge play by the former Ram. Two plays later, the Rams make a 30-yard field goal with 1:46 left. The 49ers have one timeout.

49ers 17, Rams 20.

6:35 On 3rd and 12, Garoppolo scrambles to his left and throws a wild backhanded to avoid a sack and gets intercepted. What a fitting end to their season. The 49ers lose. Stay tuned for their grades.