Three Bold Takeaways From the Rams’ Upsetting Loss

The Los Angeles Rams fall to 3 - 2 after losing at home in an overtime thriller against their divisional rivals, the San Francisco 49ers. This is a game that the 49ers came into limping, with significant injuries on both offense and defense.

They're missing their starting quarterback, their top three receiving options, and their All-Pro tight end, and yet, they waltzed into SoFi Stadium and handed the Rams their second loss of the season. Here are some of the biggest takeaways I was able to derive from their matchup.

Biggest Takeaways

Oct 2, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) drops back to pass against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Special Teams Execution

When Joshua Karty got two of his field goals blocked by the Philadelphia Eagles, I hesitated to say that the Rams had an issue on special teams. After all, Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter are great at their jobs, and the Rams couldn't handle them both rushing at the same time.

I was willing to accept the fact that the loss to the Eagles was a fluke. However, this is now the second game where Karty's poor performance directly affected the outcome of the game. He may have sent the game into overtime, but he's also the reason why they were in that position in the first place.

To be fair to the Rams, a lot of things had to go San Francisco's way for them to pull off this improbable win. Their kicker, Eddie Pineiro, hit a career-long 59-yard field goal to put the 49ers up, and in a game where the final score was decided by three points, that's huge.

It's not just that one of Karty's kicks got blocked again, but he flat-out missed a field goal earlier in the game. If he had made that extra point, the Rams would've gone up by one point, and if he had never missed his field goal, the Rams would've stayed undefeated at home. Karty played good in his rookie season, but has been inconsistent in his sophomore year. Is it time for the Rams to look elsewhere for their starting kicker?

Defensive Woes

Oct 2, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams linebacker Jared Verse (8) reacts against the San Francisco 49ers during the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Rams' defense went into this game being atop the NFL in sacks and pressures. Against a makeshift 49ers offensive line, they were only able to sack Mac Jones once, and he had all day to stand in the pocket and deliver strikes across the field.

The Rams' need for a cornerback has never been so apparent. It is unacceptable for them to allow Jones and Kendrick Bourne to look like an elite quarterback-reciever duo and gash them repeatedly. It wasn't just Bourne, either; they allowed so many receivers to get free yards after the catch because they played so much zone coverage and let up easy completions underneath.

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: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Matthew Stafford may have thrown for more passing yards than Jones, but ultimately, it was Jones who outplayed Stafford. Puka Nacua's streak of 100 or more yards in each game came to a close against the 49ers' defense, which is amazing, but no Rams' pass catcher was able to amass more than 88 yards.

Bourne had 142 yards all by himself, and when combining Christian McCaffrey's yards on the ground and through the air, he also had more than 100 yards. This was the 49ers offense at a quarter of its strength, and it dominated against a Rams defense that's mostly healthy; that cannot happen again.

Self-Inflicted Wounds

For the Rams, the biggest takeaway from this game is how they kept getting in their own way. Stafford played as good as one could expect; he didn't throw an interception, even if he made some questionable throws at times.

Blake Corum couldn't catch a simple shovel pass, and what would've resulted in a touchdown drive ended up becoming points for the 49ers instead. Kyren Williams, as great as he is for the Rams, has a problem with ball security, and it's been like that for a while now.

Oct 2, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams (23) is tackled for no gain on fourth down to end the game against the San Francisco 49ers during overtime at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Williams fumbled the ball five times last season, and through five games in 2025, he has fumbled the ball twice already. Simply put, those mistakes lost the Rams this game more so than anything the 49ers did.

This was an ugly loss that was completely preventable, and one that makes it exponentially harder for the Rams to become back-to-back NFC West champions. The only silver lining I can see is that it was a short week, and mistakes happen; they'll have a long time to reflect on this loss and come out more prepared against a depleted Baltimore Ravens team.

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