SANTA CLARA – If the 49ers had been sure to fade from playoff competition by mid-December, it solely made sense for them to blow one other NFC West sport within the fourth quarter.
This time the 49ers had solely a 6-3 result in defend, and, in the long run, they walked off their soggy discipline Thursday night time with a 12-6 defeat to the Los Angeles Rams.
Along the way in which, one 49ers stunningly opted out of the sport: Ninth-year veteran De’Vondre Campbell refused to switch injured linebacker Dre Greenlaw within the third quarter, at which level the Rams had been seizing momentum.
That unexplained betrayal left teammates seething, much more so than any chatter about their playoff hopes primarily expiring. Officially, the reigning NFC champs should not eradicated. But, with a 6-8 report total and a 1-4 mark in division video games, the 49ers’ playoff likelihood is lower than 1 %, in line with the New York Times’ simulator.
Thursday night time’s turning level wasn’t Joshua Karty’s third discipline aim of the night time that gave the Rams (8-6) their first lead with 9:29 remaining.
Rather, take your decide of the 49ers’ flip for the more serious: Brock Purdy’s fourth-quarter move that bought intercepted on the aim line, or Dre Greenlaw’s third-quarter exit with a left-knee challenge that ended his sensational season debut 10 months after an Achilles tear within the Super Bowl.
Afterward, the Greenlaw exit took on an even bigger gentle when coach Kyle Shanahan revealed Campbell refused to enter within the third quarter, when Greenlaw’s left knee felt awkward amid his comeback from an Achilles tear 10 months in the past within the Super Bowl . Shanahan clearly expressed dismay over Campbell “quitting,” and a number of other gamers additionally had been in dismay, to not point out how they had been shorthanded with Dee Winters (groin) additionally harm earlier within the sport.
Tight finish George Kittle mentioned he wasn’t conscious of Campbell’s standing till afterward, including: “I want I heard about it on the sphere. I didn’t. Now is that the rationale we misplaced? Absolutely not. It’s onerous to win soccer video games when somebody doesn’t need to swimsuit up.”
Disgruntled 49ers’ followers are certain to level to Deebo Samuel, who drew boos upon a third-quarter drop that would have resulted within the sport’s solely landing. “I catch that ball, there’s nothing there however the finish zone,” Samuel mentioned. “At the top of the day, I simply must catch the rock.”
That drop got here halfway via the third quarter, forcing the 49ers to accept Jake Moody’s 47-yard discipline aim and a 6-3 lead. Samuel, upon that drop, grabbed his head in disgust, followers booed, and he stored working his crossing route all the way in which to the sideline, the place he stripped off his helmet and took a seat on the bench.
Samuel’s greatest transfer of the night time got here on the Rams’ closing kickoff, which he returned 41 yards and drew a penalty on the Rams’ horse-collar deal with. With 11 seconds remaining, the 49ers had been at midfield, needing a miraculous landing. Instead, Purdy uncorked a closing incompletion (14-of-31, 142 yards) after which bought sacked as time expired.
Purdy’s thirtieth move of the night time was the interception, pressured towards Jennings whereas Ricky Pearsall broke open. The Rams responded with a 5-minute march earlier than Karty’s fourth and closing discipline aim with 18 seconds remaining.
“I had plenty of performs left I might have made for our workforce,” Purdy mentioned. “The protection and particular groups performed so good. I really feel I failed the workforce. I might have been higher and put up extra factors.”
Kittle mentioned of Purdy’s take: “He’s a selfless particular person. Does not have an ego. He’s a incredible chief and playmaker. I don’t need him to put on that on his shoulder. But once you’re the quarterback of the 49ers, there’s at all times a highlight on you, it’s automated. I like him for doing that and taking the blame, nevertheless it’s not on him.
Once Karty’s 27-yarder put the 49ers behind 9-6, they responded with gritty work to achieve Moody’s vary for a possible third discipline aim from him, too. Then got here the 49ers’ largest slip up on what started as a really wet night time. On second-and-10 from the Rams’ 33-yard line, Purdy bought intercepted on the aim line on a second-and-10 floater to a double-covered Jauan Jennings down the suitable sideline, with Darius Williams making the interception for the sport’s first turnover with 5:14 remaining.
Purdy mentioned relatively than be aggressive, he ought to have checked all the way down to a shorter move, and “simply bought to study from it.”
That spoiled a drive highlighted by completions to Pearsall (16 yards) and George Kittle (9 yards), in addition to a 10-yard run by Isaac Guerendo to that 33-yard line. Three snaps earlier than the interception, Purdy underthrew an open Pearsall on a 40-yard shot.
“We had alternatives within the move sport that would have led to 14 factors. We didn’t make these,” Shanahan mentioned, alluding to that shot to Pearsall, and Samuel’s third-quarter drop.
The 49ers’ protection definitely misplaced some luster when Greenlaw exited to the bench; Shanahan mentioned Greenlaw didn’t re-tear his left Achilles however had bother loosening it up after halftime. He completed with eight tackles, six earlier than halftime.
Said Greenlaw: “The knee felt actual bizarre so i simply wished to guard myself. It bought a bit tight. I had to make use of precaution. The Achilles is nice.”
Greenlaw isn’t ruling himself out of an encore within the 49ers’ subsequent sport. Unable to efficiently construct off Sunday’s 38-13 dwelling win over Chicago, the 49ers (6-8) now trudge again to the East Coast for the third time in seven weeks, with the Miami Dolphins internet hosting them on Dec. 22 (4:25 p.m. ET). The Dolphins (6-7) first play Sunday on the Houston Texans (8-5).
“If I used to be wholesome, I’d play one other sport tomorrow. I’m sore, performed plenty of performs. It’s anticipated,” Greenlaw mentioned. “Knee is sore. Same aspect of surgical procedure so every part might be tighter. We have 10 days to subsequent sport to get vary of movement and confidence again in it.”
Muddled in a 6-6 tie, the Rams broke via for the sport’s longest play: a 51-yard connection from Matthew Stafford to Puka Nuakua (previous Charvarius Ward) on the 49ers’ 16-yard line. Back-to-back run stops by security Tashaun Gipson set the stage for Fred Warner’s greatest play in months, that being his cease of a Kyren Williams catch for no achieve on Third-and-2 catch on the 8-yard line.
The 49ers took a 6-3 lead into the fourth quarter, however was removed from the larger benefits they blew in infamous losses to the Rams: they led 24-14 in a Week 3 defeat (27-24) at SoFi Stadium, and so they owned a 17-7 lead within the 2021 season’s NFC Championship Game (20-17).
Said Fred Warner: “It was the story of the 12 months: not doing sufficient to win video games, not enjoying complementary, simply developing too brief.”
The 49ers scored on their first possession of every half, doing so on Moody discipline objectives of 53 and 47 yards.
Samuel produced simply 19 yards on the night time: 16 yards by catching 3-of-7 targets, and the opposite three yards approaching two carries. He had simply 15 yards on 5 touches earlier than halftime, after griping on social media Monday about his self-perceived lack of alternatives. He additionally had a false-start penalty, and he unofficially made a deal with when he collided with Isaac Guerendo within the backfield.
Kittle consoled Samuel postgame, later telling the media he’s by no means seen Samuel drop a move like that earlier than, it being an open-field catastrophe. Samuel entered with a team-high 5 drops this season, plus two this sport.
The 49ers grabbed a 3-0 lead by way of Moody’s 53-yard discipline aim on their second collection, which opened with a 33-yard reception by Kittle. The drive stalled when Samuel was stopped for a 2-yard achieve on third-and-6, after earlier colliding on a backfield-motion play with Guerendo to halt his 1-yard run.
The Rams tied it at 3 with 1:05 till the halftime present (corgi races). Karty made a 48-yard discipline aim to bail out the Rams’ first-half offense wherein Stafford accomplished simply 4-of-12 passes for 23 yards, with working again Williams totaling 44 yards on 14 carries.
Guerendo, making an encore begin and enjoying via Sunday’s foot sprain, had simply 17 yards on eight carries within the first half. He completed with 57 yards on 16 carries, plus 18 yards on 4 catches.
The 49ers’ beginning protection welcomed again not solely Greenlaw but in addition defensive finish Nick Bosa, who missed the earlier three video games with an indirect damage. Safety Talanoa Hufanga, two video games into his return from a two-month break, made an early influence towards the run. By the fourth quarter, Ji’Ayir Brown (groin) was out and Tashaun Gipson returned to pair with Hufanga just like the earlier two seasons.
“It was the story of the 12 months, not doing sufficient to win video games, not enjoying complementary, simply developing too brief,” Warner mentioned.
Warner shared that Hufanga addressed the workforce postgame and insisted they comply with his lead of enjoying all-out to the very finish, since he’s battled again from accidents to play in 4 video games this season.
“That’s what the message is now and we’ll discover out who desires to be a Niner,” Bosa mentioned.
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