49ers’ playoffs hopes fade after falling to Rams in 12-6 snoozefest

Usually, when the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams meet on the football field, the results tend to be entertaining if not exciting. Thursday night's meeting was the opposite, and the result might wind up being the last straw for the 49ers when it comes to their playoff chances.

This installment of the Rams-49ers rivalry was a slow-paced, occasionally rainy, and often dull field goal fest that saw the 49ers fall 12-6 in front of a home crowd at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara. The Rams overcame a slow start to win the game with some time-consuming second-half offense and a late interception on defense, while the 49ers never found enough of a rhythm on offense to complement what was for much of the game a solid performance on the defensive side of the ball.

49ers quarterback Brock Purdy had a night to forget, completing 14-of-31 passes for 142 yards and one interception. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford completed 16-of-27 passes for 160 yards while running back Kyren Williams finished with 108 yards on 29 carries.

First Half

The teams traded three-and-outs to start the game, and then the 49ers got into Rams territory with a 33-yard completion from Purdy to tight end George Kittle. The drive stalled from there, but kicker Jake Moody was able to finish the possession with a 53-yard field goal to give the 49ers an early 3-0 lead.

Moody's field goal accounted for all the scoring in the first quarter, which consisted of seven punts, no first down from the Rams, and at least two near-interceptions for the 49ers. A 49ers punt early in the second quarter pinned the Rams at their own 3-yard line, then with rain picking up in intensity at Levi's Stadium, the Rams put together their first extended drive of the night and moved the ball to the 41-yard line before punting back to the 49ers.

The 49ers fielded the punt at their own 12-yard line, then punted back to the Rams after a six-play, seven-yard possession. The Rams took over at midfield and moved to the 30-yard line in seven plays, then were forced to settle for a 48-yard field goal from kicker Joshua Karty to tie the game at 3 with 1:05 remaining in the half.

The 49ers started the next drive at their own 30-yard line and punted back to the Rams after three plays. The Rams took over at their own 22-yard line with 29 seconds remaining but elected to run out the clock and end an uneventful first half. The two teams accounted for less than 200 total yards in the first half (108 for the 49ers, 89 for the Rams) and nine combined first downs, while Stafford was held to 23 yards on 4-of-12 passing. Purdy finished the half with nine completions on 19 attempts for 96 yards.

Second Half

After holding the Rams to a three-and-out to start the half, the 49ers took over at their own 38-yard line and put together a 10-play, 34-yard drive that ended with a 47-yard field goal from Moody to take a 6-3 lead. The 49ers moved downfield with multiple touches from running back Isaac Guerendo as well as a 9-yard completion to Kittle and a third-down conversion run from Purdy at the Rams' 32-yard line. But on 3rd-and-10 from the 29-yard line, a pass from Purdy that hit wide receiver Deebo Samuel in the hands was dropped, taking away a potential big play. Samuel, who complained earlier in the week about not getting enough opportunities on offense, heard a few boos from the Levi's Stadium crowd after the drop.

The Rams responded with the most time-consuming drive of the game -- a 17-play, 65-yard drive that took just under ten minutes off the clock and ended with a field goal from Karty to tie the game at 6. The Rams ground their way downfield with a series of short passes from Stafford with some runs from Williams, but on a 2nd-and-3 play from the 49ers' 4-yard line, tight end Davis Allen was flagged for a holding penalty, which pushed the Rams back to the 14. The 49ers kept the Rams out of the end zone from there, then Karty connected from 29 yards to tie the score with 13:38 remaining in the game.

The 49ers quickly punted back to the Rams after a three-and-out, which was triggered in part by a first-down pass interference penalty on Kittle. After that, Stafford and wide receiver Puka Nacua woke up what had been a sleepy game to that point with a 51-yard completion to the 49ers' 16-yard line. But the 49ers stiffened on defense and once again kept the Rams out of the end zone, forcing them to settle for a 27-yard field goal from Karty to take a 9-6 lead.

The 49ers showed life on offense on the following drive, moving 39 yards in eight plays to the Rams' 33-yard line with the help of a 16-yard completion to wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, a 9-yard catch from Kittle, and a 10-yard run from Guerendo. But what likely would have been a scoring opportunity went up in smoke when a deep pass from Purdy was picked off in the end zone by cornerback Darious Williams, giving the Rams the ball at their own 20 with just over five minutes left in the game.

After taking over on their own 20-yard line, the Rams put together a 13-play, 69-yard drive that wound up icing the game. The Rams faced a 3rd-and-4 at the 49ers' 32-yard line at the two-minute warning, but this time around the 49ers were unable to get a stop on defense as Stafford found tight end Colby Parkinson for a 14-yard gain. The Rams ran the clock down to 18 seconds before Karty added another field goal, this one from 27 yards to take a 12-6 lead.

The 49ers were given one last dose of hope after a 41-yard kick return from Samuel combined with a penalty for a horse collar tackle gave them the ball at midfield with 11 seconds. But, in a somewhat fitting fashion, the game ended on a sack when Purdy was brought down by linebacker Christian Rozeboom to bring the clock down to zero.

The loss puts the 49ers at 6-8 on the season, making it increasingly likely they miss the playoffs. The Rams improved to 8-6 on the season with the win, moving them a half-game back of the Seattle Seahawks (8-5) in the NFC West.

Game Notes: Thursday's game was the first NFL game of the season with no touchdowns... The 49ers fell to 78-71-3 all-time against the Rams with the loss... The 49ers were three-point favorites heading into the game... The 49ers got two key players back from injury Thursday night in linebacker Dre Greenlaw and defensive end Nick Bosa. Greenlaw made his season debut after recovering from a torn Achilles, while Bosa has missed multiple games with hip/oblique issues. Greenlaw made his presence felt with eight tackles before leaving the game in the second half... The 49ers will be back in action on Sunday, December 22 in a road contest against the Miami Dolphins (6-7). The game kicks off from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens at 4:25 p.m. ET/1:25 p.m. PT (CBS).

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