St. Louis Rams vs. San Francisco 49ers: Full Report Card Grades for St. Louis
The St. Louis Rams (3-5) came up with an incredible 13-10 win over the San Francisco 49ers (4-4) in a game that came down to the final seconds.
The Rams attempted to desperately defend a slight three-point lead with under a minute left in the game, but the 49ers took the ball to the goal line. All San Francisco had to do was punch it in with a mere one-yard run, but a bad snap and a Colin Kaepernick fumble put the ball in St. Louis' hands.
The Rams took a knee and walked away with an astonishing victory.
The St. Louis defense was undoubtedly the highlight of this game and not only for the goal-line stand at the end. The unit sacked Kaepernick seven times and had him playing scared, which threw off the entire 49ers offense.
The stingy San Francisco defense gave the Rams issues on offense all day, but the three scoring drives and the sole touchdown was just enough to get by.
It was a hard-fought game and a well-deserved road win for the Rams against the NFC West-rival 49ers.
This article will take another look at the game and assign a letter grade to each position based on stats, consistency and game-changing plays.
Quarterback: C
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Austin Davis had an extremely shaky start. His offense was hitting a brick wall in the opening quarter, and he tossed two avoidable picks in the second quarter on some very foolish throws.
However, he showed some resilience by overcoming the turnovers and leading St. Louis to a key touchdown drive late in the first half.
The offense was very anemic in the second half, but that wasn't entirely on Davis. He was under heavy pressure, and the run game was stuffed by the 49ers defense.
It wasn't pretty, but Davis had some decent moments and helped the Rams get this win.
Running Back: B+
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Tre Mason entered this game averaging over five yards per carry, and while he didn't move the ball like we're used to, he still had a gritty performance and an excellent game.
Mason finished with 65 yards on 19 carries (3.4 yards per carry), but the numbers are not overly important against a solid San Francisco defense. He ran hard and picked up tough yards, and that's what counts.
Benny Cunningham and Tavon Austin combined for just 17 yards, but again, you can't expect eye-popping numbers against the 49ers.
It was a promising day for the backs against a tough opponent.
Wide Receiver/Tight End: C+
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The Rams receivers did not have excellent numbers, and that's primarily due to shaky quarterback play, as well as heavy pressure by the 49ers on passing downs.
Kenny Britt's 21-yard touchdown grab was the key play for the Rams on offense. St. Louis did little on offense following that drive, so Britt's score was absolutely crucial.
Britt nearly had another touchdown in the first half. He was wide-open behind the secondary, but Davis under-threw him, and the ball was picked off.
Benny Cunningham had a nice day catching balls out of the backfield. He led the Rams in receptions (three) and yards (38). He had a nice 17-yard grab that set up Britt's touchdown.
With just 13 completions by Davis in this game, there were few receptions to go around. This group did a nice job making the most of it.
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Offensive Line: C
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The offensive line certainly didn't dominate, but how many lines out there are capable of dominating the San Francisco front eight?
Greg Robinson had a holding penalty in his debut as a starting left tackle, but he held his own for the most part and had a good game.
The line allowed heavy pressure in the second half and didn't get much push in the run game, which made it difficult for the offense to do much of anything, but you have to consider the opponent.
It wasn't a breakout performance, but it was an improvement over last week's disaster against Kansas City, where Davis was sacked seven times.
Defensive Line: A
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The St. Louis defensive line sacked Kaepernick six times in the first half and finished with seven sacks overall. The Rams entered the game with just six sacks on the year, but St. Louis managed to more than double that number in this game.
Whether it was sacking Kaepernick, providing constant pressure, stuffing the run, or recovering fumbles, the St. Louis defensive line flat-out got it done.
This is what we've been waiting for from the talented St. Louis line. The slow start to the season (one sack through the first five games) manipulated the numbers, but make no mistake—this is still one of the most dangerous pass rushes in football.
It was an excellent game for the front four.
Linebackers: A
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The linebackers had a productive game after struggling against the Kansas City Chiefs last week.
Alec Ogletree had a tipped pass in the first half, and it's good to see him bounce back after last week's disastrous performance (he had two unsportsmanlike-conduct penalties against the Chiefs).
James Laurinaitis was arguably the player of the game (although there are many candidates). He had a fumble recovery in the first half that he returned for a touchdown, but the play was inexplicably blown dead in what was a monumental error by the officials.
Laurinaitis went on to recover the Kaepernick fumble at the goal line to secure the win for St. Louis. He had an excellent afternoon overall.
After limiting Frank Gore to 49 yards yards on the ground, as well as a mere 80 total rushing yards for the San Francisco offense, it's hard to find any complaints toward the St. Louis linebackers in this game.
Secondary: B
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The secondary was the weak link on defense in this game, but it was still an acceptable performance.
Anquan Boldin was wide-open when Kaepernick hit him for a touchdown. It was obviously blown coverage, but there's no excuse for a receiver being that open.
Also, back-to-back penalties by Trumaine Johnson gave San Francisco the ball at the 1-yard line with seconds remaining in the final quarter, and those penalties would have lost the game for St. Louis had it not been for the miraculous goal-line stand.
On the bright side, rookie E.J. Gaines was great in coverage and continues to prove that he's a legitimate starting cornerback. Also, the secondary was great in run support.
Special Teams: B
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Greg Zuerlein made a 37-yard field-goal to snap out of his cold streak and get St. Louis on the board in the first quarter. He also hit a 39-yard kick in the final quarter to give the Rams the lead (though he barely got it through).
The two Zuerlein field goals were the difference in the game, so he deserves credit for sinking both.
The 49ers attempted a long field goal that fell short to end the first half, and Austin fielded the kick in the end zone. Austin foolishly tried to return the ball against a line of 49ers, and he was nearly brought down for a safety. It would have been a major momentum killer right before halftime.
Austin had a would-be punt-return touchdown late in the second half, but the play was blown dead because he supposedly stepped out of bounds (the film shows he did not). It didn't matter either way, since there were off-setting penalties on that play, so it would have been re-kicked regardless.
Cunningham had a nice 37-yard kickoff return, but overall, special teams were not a major factor outside of Zuerlein's field goals.
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