The Rams Just Exposed the Brutal Truth About Why the 49ers Don’t Belong Anywhere Near the Super Bowl.QQ
The Rams exposed weaknesses that most 49ers fans were already aware of heading into the game.
Week after week, the San Francisco 49ers added names to the injury report, with names like Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, and Mykel Williams lost for the season alongside the likes of Brock Purdy and Ricky Pearsall, both of whom have missed most of the season.
And yet, the Niners continued their roller-coaster ride and used their 3-0 start to the campaign to run a 6-3 record into Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams, a team the 49ers beat at SoFi Stadium after a tough loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars to end the season-opening winning streak.
But, as is the case with most things, the 49ers defense had a breaking point in the form of Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who sliced up San Francisco’s defense for 280 yards and four touchdowns en route to a 42-26 smashing at Levi’s Stadium.
Stafford and Co. only punted the ball twice on Sunday, both in the second quarter, but otherwise scored touchdowns or kneeled the ball to end the first half or the game. And it wasn’t on short fields, they just moved the ball at will, taking advantage of the 49ers’ oft-injuried defense.
The solution to dealing with that injury-riddled unit was going to be for the Niners offense to build on last week’s scoring outburst against the New York Giants, and while they closed in on 30 points again, Jauan Jennings’ first quarter fumble, a second-quarter turnover on downs, and an inability to take advantage of a few quick strikes on their final drive of the first half were the difference in the game.
The Rams, as currently constructed, are just a better football team, and the plethora of players who have been lost for the season or who haven’t been able to contribute much this year has grown too large, even as Mac Jones continues to look good as the starting quarterback.
Even coming into the season, the conversation was if the 49ers remained healthy, they might be able to make some noise in the playoffs as reinforcements arrived and their young players matured.
But that caveat hasn’t stayed true, as San Francisco’s health has gotten worse as the season has progressed.
The Niners will still likely be able to win games against lesser opponents (the run of the Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, and Tennessee Titans over the next five weeks, with a bye week after Carolina looks promising), but when the schedule tightens up to close (at the Indianapolis Colts, home for the Chicago Bears and Seattle Seahawks), there are rightfully questions about whether this version of the 49ers can hang.
The playoffs aren’t out of the realm of possiblity.
But anyone who dreams of bigger things for the 2025 Niners should look no further than the beating the Rams laid on them on Sunday to realize the truth.
