49ers Exude Toughness in Critical win Against Rams

Third-and-16 is a scenario that every defense will take against any opposing offense. It gives the defense a strong advantage to hold on third down and call almost any type of play. Offenses rarely convert a slim chance play like that, let alone two.

Clearly, the San Francisco 49ers did not get the memo when they converted on two of those exact scenarios on the very same drive. To be able to execute an unlikely conversion so successfully twice on the final drive of the game shows more than talent (and even a little luck).

It exudes toughness. Both mental and physical.

#49ers became 3rd team since 2000 to convert 2 third downs with 16+ yards to go on same drive. Eagles did it vs Wash on 12/20/14 and Falcons did it vs Steelers 11/10/02
— Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) December 22, 2019

The 49ers have shown time and time again that when they are put in unfavorable positions - they end up flipping it into a favorable one. From being down both starting offensive tackles to trailing two scores early in a game. This team just refuses to fall under a typical statistic. Their mentality is championship caliber, which cannot be formed without toughness.

The vast majority of the second half for the San Francisco 49ers was shaky at best offensively. In the third quarter, their offense was struggling to find any success. The Rams' defense knew what was coming. San Francisco put up three punts, one interception and one first down for 22-yards on 13 plays (1.7 yards per play) on their first four drives in the third quarter. No drive was sustained for long as the pass protection derailed heavily in the second half.

Yet that still didn't stop Jimmy Garoppolo from standing in the pocket on the final drive to deliver not one, but two incredible throws to convert Third-and-16. The mentality screams toughness, but there was also physical toughness put on display. Garoppolo's arm was hit as he dropped back to pass to Emmanuel Sanders on the second Third-and-16 play that setup Robbie Gould for the game winning field goal.

Garoppolo was getting pounded for the majority of this game. He was sacked six times in this matchup, which was the most he had suffered since 2018 against the Detroit Lions. Taking a beating throughout the entire game like he did would have had most quarterbacks shaken. In fact, for a while in the third quarter he looked a bit shook. You could see the happy feet from Garoppolo and the unsteadiness in the pocket. He even threw two interceptions that could have added to bringing his morale down.

Given what he had shown for most of the second half, he should not have been able to rise to the occasion on that final offensive drive. The pressure alone to try and deliver should have broken him. It should have broken this entire offense who were stagnate for a good portion of the half. But they ended up converting on two insanely difficult plays that only two other teams had accomplished since 2000.

The San Francisco 49ers personally see the Los Angeles Rams out of their playoff hopes. 10 months ago the Rams were in the Super Bowl. Now they will be spending January at home all thanks to the 49ers who have a strong case to make the Super Bowl themselves. This win also maintains the 49ers' position as the top team in the NFC west. Going into week 17 against the Seattle Seahawks will be a battle like no other. It is a game that will carry pressure even more immense than tonight's game.

They will once again have to exude the toughness they showed in this critical win against the Rams. The last time the 49ers won at CenturyLink Field was in 2011. History is not on the 49ers' side. Not to mention that Russell Wilson has owned the 49ers in his career. The bright side is that they have an extra day to rest and prepare for Seattle. Even though they won tonight, the 49ers did not play their best. They stepped up when it mattered most, but playing like tonight will surely see their way out of the division title.

Seattle will be ready for the 49ers who are entering uncharted territory of playoff battles. Luckily for them, they have become battle hardened in these situations from their toughness in tonight's game and even against the New Orleans Saints a few weeks ago. Going up to Seattle to attempt to beat the Seahawks is never an easy task, but one of the things every team needs is toughness. The 49ers have displayed that on multiple occasions and it will be critical for them to have it come eight days from now.