Rams kick 4 field goals to pass 49ers at Levi’s stadium

The 49ers (5-8) led 6-3 heading into the fourth quarter but came up short, dealing a major blow to the dwindling playoff hopes for the defending NFC champions.

The 49ers’ season is, in effect, over. There are still three regular-season games remaining, but returning to the postseason drop from slim to implausible with this loss to the Rams at Levi’s Stadium.

It was a fitting continuation of their disastrous 2024 season as they dropped to 6-8 and 1-4 in the NFC West, the division they won the previous two seasons. The 49ers are 2½ games behind the first-place Seahawks (8-5) and two games behind the Rams (8-6), who own the tiebreaker over the 49ers due to their season sweep.

49ers quarterback Brock Purdy completed 14 of 31 passes for 142 yards, posting the third-lowest passer rating (45.4) of his career and tossing his lone interception at an inopportune time. With the 49ers trailing 9-6 with just over five minutes left, Purdy targeted wideout Jauan Jennings with a deep, under-pressure pass on 2nd-and-10 from the Rams’ 33-yard line that was picked by cornerback Darious Williams in the end zone.

The Rams responded with a 13-play, 69-yard drive that ended with a field goal with 18 seconds left to drop the 49ers to 2-5 in one-score games this season and 2-7 against teams that currently have a winning record.

In a game that was played in steady rain in the first quarter, the 49ers matched a season-low with just 11 first downs, gained a season-low 191 yards and went 3-of-12 on third down opportunities.

They didn’t receive much help from All-Pro wide receiver Deebo Samuel, who arrived with 97 total yards in his previous four games and said on social media on Monday that he wasn’t “struggling” but just wasn’t “getting the ball.”

This marked the fourth time this season that the Niners lost to a division opponent after leading by at least three points in the fourth quarter.

“It was the story of the year,” linebacker Fred Warner said. “Just not doing enough to win games. Not playing complementary. Just coming out a little too short.”

Karty made all four kicks after missing four in the past five games of his rookie season.

Stafford led a clock-killing drive that was capped by Karty’s fourth field goal with 18 seconds to play. Stafford went 16 for 27 for 160 yards, with 137 of those yards coming after halftime when the heavy rain stopped.

“In the second half, the weather was good enough to do it all,” Stafford said. “We had the feeling that that was the kind of way this game was going to be played and it’s going to have to be one of those games. We scored 44 four nights ago and come out here and score 12 but they both count for one.”

Purdy finished 14 for 31 for 142 yards as the Niners failed to score a touchdown in a game for the first time since 2019.

The first half was played in a downpour and it had a major impact on the offensive performances with neither team able to move the ball.

The 49ers’ only first-half points came on their second possession, which was highlighted by a 33-yard reception by tight end George Kittle. The drive was capped by 53-yard field goal by Jake Moody. The Rams tied the game on Karty’s 48-yard field goal with 1:10 left in the second quarter.

The 49ers’ defense took a hit when linebacker Dre Greenlaw was forced to leave with the 49ers leading 6-3 in the third quarter. Greenlaw, playing in his first game since he tore his Achilles in February, had a team-high eight tackles in the first half before he exited early in the Rams’ 17-play, 65-yard drive that ended with Joshua Karty’s game-tying 23-yard field goal with 13:41 remaining. The Rams took a 9-6 lead four minutes later on Karty’s 27-yard field goal.

The Rams had no first downs on their first four drives for the first time since 2013 before getting a late field goal to tie the game. The Niners went three-and-out three times and got one field goal.

The teams combined for 11 punts, nine first downs and 197 yards four days after they both had season highs in points.

The rain mostly stopped at halftime but the offenses still struggled.

INJURIES

Rams: LB Nick Hampton (chest) left in the second half.

49ers: LB Dre Greenlaw returned for the first time since tearing his left Achilles tendon in the Super Bowl last season. He had eight tackles in the first half but played sparingly in the second half. Veteran De’Vondre Campbell, who lost his starting role when Greenlaw returned, refused to enter the game in the second half, according to coach Kyle Shanahan. … S Ji’Ayir Brown (groin) left in the second half.