49ers Defense Rebounds in Second Half to Lead Win Over Rams

Too close for comfort.

The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Los Angeles Rams 30-23 in a close battle. After the beatdown the 49ers handed the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1, it seemed likely that they would do something close to it against the Rams.

However, that could not have been further from the case. The 49ers defense is what lead the 49ers to victory over the Rams, but it wasn't looking that way to start. The defense went from looking like the best defense in the NFL against the Steelers, to looking like a mediocre one against the Rams in the first half.

Every Rams wide receiver was open for the majority of the game and Matthew Stafford was finding them with ease. The Rams don't even have a real threatening receiver, which speaks volumes to how great Stafford was playing and the play calling of Sean McVay.

So, what happened to the 49ers defense today? Did they overlook the Rams? Not at all. What changed was the 49ers weren't facing Kenny Pickett. They were facing an exponentially better quarterback in Stafford. It's as simple as that. Having an elite play caller like McVay helps too. Defensive coordinator Steve Wilks was outclassed going into the half.

And yet, the defense still only allowed 20 points.

Coming out of the second half, the defense tightened up dramatically. The Rams were not moving the ball at ease anymore and were struggling to score points. All the Rams mustered to score in the second half was six points. They scored 17 in the first and showed no signs of slowing down. Credit to Wilks for identifying the adjustments necessary to make. Stafford, for as good as he was for the majority of the contest, threw two picks in the second half.

On the offensive side of the ball, the 49ers looked relatively smooth again. It wasn't the same caliber as against the Steelers, but they were still clicking. Christian McCaffrey was effective on the ground and Brock Purdy was fairly adequate. However, what capped the 49ers offensively was Purdy failing to hit a few deep ball throws. Had he connected on one of those, the 49ers have another touchdown on the board. For as much as the defense was getting worked, the offense could have saved the day earlier if Purdy was on the money for just one of those deep throws.

Still, this was a revealing game from the 49ers' perspective. Purdy was limiting the offense, yet the offense was still playing well. The defense was getting handled in the first half yet bounced back amazingly in the second half. They aided the 49ers' offense in giving them adequate field possession and limiting the scoring of the Rams. It eased the pressure on the 49ers' offense to score. This is a perfect example of complimentary football, and the 49ers have that.

San Francisco will turn their attention to New York Giants for Thursday Night football in Week 3.