SANTA CLARA — The Los Angeles Rams didn’t simply beat the 49ers 42-26 Sunday.
No, the Rams put the 49ers of their place.
All this plucky, us-against-the-world stuff the injury-riddled Niners had been promoting? It’s all properly and good. It even works most weeks.
However on Sunday, the Niners performed a bonafide, no-doubt-about-it Tremendous Bowl contender, they usually didn’t stand a lot of an opportunity from the opening kickoff.
There are ranges to success within the NFL, and the Rams are clearly an echelon greater than San Francisco.
And on Sunday, the Rams appeared intent on making that time as usually as doable.
The Rams did what the most effective groups do: they put their foot on the Niners’ throat and squeezed, letting up solely as a result of domination turned boring.
The Niners permitting six touchdowns was dangerous sufficient, however providing little to no resistance within the course of is a particular form of terrible.
Apologists will be aware that the Niners gained solely eight fewer yards than the Rams on Sunday.
That’s the form of statistical idiot’s gold that appears fairly on paper however doesn’t imply a lick once you’re a staff that’s chasing the whole afternoon. And once you go 7-0 on penalties and 2-0 on turnovers, you should chase.
In the end, soccer is a sport of moments, and each time the Niners had an opportunity to rise up off the mat— to make the sport attention-grabbing — they face-planted.
Or, to be extra particular, each time the protection wanted to make a cease, they discovered themselves overpowered, out of place, or each.
If protection wins championships, what does this ramshackle 49ers’ unit win? On Sunday, it not often generated strain, received gashed for five.2 yards per carry by Kyren Williams, and deserved the Benny Hill soundtrack to play over their play on the again finish.
“We thought we could slow them down,” Kyle Shanahan stated after the sport.
They thought fallacious.
The Niners couldn’t cease a nosebleed Sunday. The 42 factors allowed are a brand new season low.
And in that ugly, far-too-conspicuous quantity, the Rams delivered the reply to that massive query.
A title — be it the division, convention, or Tremendous Bowl — might need been within the playing cards for an earlier version of San Francisco, however it’s firmly out of the query for these Niners.
What else are you able to assume after you watched Matt Stafford play quarterback prefer it was a two-hand contact sport within the park, firing dimes to each nook of the sector and finishing 70 p.c of his throws regardless of averaging 9 yards per goal?
He was in full, calm management of the whole sport. Each second — even when he was sitting on the bench, because the Niners have been on offense — was about him. That’s the signature of a quarterback who’s competing to win one other ring.
“It wasn’t anything really in particular, it just wasn’t good enough,” Shanahan stated of the protection.
Which is coach-speak for it was every little thing.
And amid all of the lies the Niners have informed about themselves in current weeks, not less than that isn’t one.
What labored in opposition to a poorly coached, talent-short staff with a younger quarterback who can not see the sector (the Falcons, Giants) stood no likelihood in opposition to a high-level operation just like the Rams.
The Niners’ offense, to its credit score, knew the rating coming in: They needed to rating to win.
Kittle provided the idea with some tact in current weeks, and tried to put it out once more after Sunday’s loss:
“Our team is gonna have to rely on our really good veteran offense to score a lot of points and not turn the ball over,” Kittle stated. “That’s the way our seasons going to go.”
Can this offense carry the Niners to win? Positive. I wouldn’t presume something, however with Christian McCaffrey and Kittle wholesome and an offensive line that’s seemed fairly good in current weeks, the Niners can transfer the ball, whether or not it’s Mac Jones or Brock Purdy underneath middle.
Alongside these strains, the reality is that Sunday’s loss adjustments completely nothing for the Niners’ final trajectory. They’re nonetheless on the identical observe: they’ll hold clocking the dangerous groups, shedding to the elite, and enjoying baffling, anything-could-happen video games in opposition to the mediocre ones.
The loss to the Rams merely pops the delusion that the 49ers have been something greater than a Wild Card playoff staff.
As a result of, certain, the NFC would possibly look large open, however on this league in November, the most effective groups separate themselves from the pack.
The Rams have been the most effective staff. The 49ers have been merely one other squad within the pack.
