Did the 49ers Smash the Rams Season?
All last week, I was very nervous about the 49ers-Rams game.
In fact, I barely had the guts to pick the 49ers, just before kickoff.
On paper, I thought that the Rams had an advantage. Arik Armstead, Azeez Al-Shaair, Javon Kinlaw and especially Dre Greenlaw were all missing from the heart of the 49ers defense. Cornerbacks Jimmie Ward and Charvarius "Mooney" Ward had played poorly last week. On offense, they were missing Deebo Samuel (aka the Rams killer), Jauan Jennings and Kyle "Juice" Juszczyk, their do-everything fullback. Trent Williams and Mike McGlinchey had both struggled the previous week as well
Something told me that the 49ers would play better than they had in their past two games, which they failed to win. Fewer penalties -- there were only three penalties for just 8 yards -- but they did lead to a Rams touchdown, which was still a big improvement. Fewer turnovers -- while there weren't any, there were several close calls. Ramsey dropped at least one easily interceptable throw by Jimmy Garoppolo. Christian "CMC" McCaffrey fumbled, but it flew directly into Ray-Ray McCloud's hands as he laid on the ground. McCaffrey also had what appeared to be a fumble, which was reversed to be an incompletion. Fewer drops -- there were barely any. Some people called the deep throw to McCloud a drop, but to me it was a late throw which allowed the Safety to catch up and make a pass break up. I hate to say it, but Samuel and Jennings being out really cut down on the drops.
The only one who didn't improve, or at least much, was Mike McGlinchey.
Grappolo was good or maybe very good, after some early struggles. He went seven for seven, for 71 yards and a touchdown on one drive, with really nice touchdown throws to both CMC and George Kittle, plus a deep yard throw to Ross Dwelley, who ended up rumbling for about 20 more yards before being brought down. Brandon Aiyuk had a team-leading 81 receiving yards. It was Aiyuk's third game in a row with 80 or more receiving yards. One of Garoppolo's best games ever.
The defense was barely able to slow the Rams down in the first half, but DeMeco Ryans made some masterful halftime adjustments that kept Cooper Kupp from having a second half catch and kept the Rams from scoring in the final 30 minutes.
Special teams were pretty good, but I was very unhappy when McCloud fielded a punt from inside the five-yard line. Pretty sure that cost the team about eight yards, as he got the ball out to only the 12 yard line. Beyond that he risked disaster near our goal line. He also returned a kickoff from deep in the end zone. While he actually ended up with a great return, I don't think that's a good thing to do on a regular basis moving forward.
McCaffrey was the unquestioned star of the show. He threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Aiyuk. He caught a monster touchdown pass that was only 14 yards, but he was behind the line of scrimmage until Garoppolo was under pressure, then gave his quarterback an uncovered outlet option. The touchdown was pivotal, as it gave the 49ers a lead that they would not relinquish for the remainder of the game. McCaffrey also ran a touchdown in for a hat trick. Very few players have ever scored a throwing, a catching and a rushing touchdown in one game. In fact, it hadn't been done for 17 years prior to Sunday. Kyle Shanahan seemed to really want to flaunt McCaffrey's prowess, as the Rams had also been heavy bidders for his services. Luckily, McCaffrey chose the the 49ers, or the outcome of the game would almost certainly have been reversed.
Unlike the 2021 season, the Rams didn't make a single trade prior to Tuesday's 1:00pm Pacific Time trade deadline. Despite their multiple glaring needs, which include left tackle, defensive end/edge, running back, cornerback and wide receiver. The 49ers appear to have smashed the Rams' 2022 season. Seems like a game that mattered a lot more than Rams fans would like you to believe. They like to say that they won when it mattered most. Time will tell, but Kittle's dagger touchdown for the game felt a dagger to the Rams season.
