The Rams defeated the San Francisco 49ers 27-24 on Sunday night at SoFi Stadium.
What we learned from the victory that improved the Rams’ record to 1-2:
Joshua Karty can kick under pressure
The Rams, bedeviled by kicking woes in 2023, used a sixth-round draft pick to select Joshua Karty.
Karty came through with a field goal that pulled the Rams within seven points in the fourth quarter, a game-tying extra point and a 37-yard game-winning field goal.
Karty had been listed as questionable because of a hamstring injury suffered against the Arizona Cardinals. The Rams were so unsure of his status, they signed kicker Tanner Brown to the practice squad at the beginning of last week.
Karty said he “kind of Googled” himself Sunday morning and discovered he was still listed as questionable but he got through pregame warmups and felt better than expected.
“As the game wore on, I think my kicks got a lot better and better,” Karty said. “The extra point at the end, and field goal at the end, those were my best two kicks.”
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Karty said that before his final kick, he thought about former Stanford teammate Emmet Kenney, who Friday kicked a game-winning field goal against Syracuse.
“As soon as that happened on Friday, I knew like, ‘How cliché would that be if both of us got game-winning kicks in the same week?’” Karty said. “And it turned out to happen.”
Other special teams players also contributed.
Running back Ronnie Rivers kept alive a first-half scoring drive when he rushed for a first down on a fake punt. Xavier Smith, promoted this week from the practice squad, returned a punt 38 yards to help set up the game-winning field goal.
Tutu Atwell creates deep problems for defense
Receiver Tutu Atwell caught four passes from Matthew Stafford for 93 yards, including one for 50 yards that set up the game-tying field goal.
“He was telling me all week, he’s like, “I got you. I got you,’” Stafford said.
Atwell, a second-round draft pick in 2021, came through.
“When the ball’s in the air, it’s like radar — I’m going to get it,” the speedy Atwell said. “Stafford threw a hell of a ball, a great ball, and that’s one of my abilities — to track the ball.”
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Atwell also drew a pass-interference penalty that resulted in a 48-yard gain, and tossed a 36-yard pass to receiver Demarcus Robinson that was overturned upon review of the reception.
“It makes you realize he probably should have gotten other opportunities,” in previous games McVay said, adding, “I think this is a stepping stone for him. … Happy for Tutu. He deserves that.”
Offensive line improved
After giving up five sacks against the Cardinals, the Rams yielded three against the 49ers.
Stafford escaped pressure several times, and there were spans when McVay appeared to call running plays in obvious passing situations to protect the 36-year-old quarterback.
Left tackle Alaric Jackson (who returned from a two-game suspension), left guard Logan Bruss (making his first career start), rookie center Beaux Limmer, right guard Kevin Dotson and right tackle Rob Havenstein helped Kyren Williams rush for 89 yards and score three touchdowns.
Defense came through at the end
For much of the game, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy and receiver Jauan Jennings played pitch-and-catch: Jennings caught 11 passes on 12 targets for 175 yards and three touchdowns.
But the Rams limited running back Jordan Mason to 77 yards in 11 carries, the first time this season that Mason was held to fewer than 100 yards. Safety Quentin Lake and linebackers Troy Reeder and Christian Rozeboom each had 10 tackles.
Edge rusher Byron Young got a sack and forced a fumble that tackle Braden Fiske recovered.
And on a third-and-10 play with just more than a minute left, Fiske and tackle Kobie Turner stopped Purdy for a two-yard gain, forcing the 49ers to punt and giving Stafford a chance to win the game with a field-goal drive.
Rams apparently escaped with no major injuries
McVay might have different news when he speaks with reporters Monday, but for the first time this season he did not identify any newly injured players during his postgame news conference.
“It does seem like we might’ve come out of this thing pretty clean with injuries,” McVay said. “So now you can start developing some continuity.
“That’s been a challenge for us. With all the different moving parts, we haven’t been able to commit to a process because there hasn’t been one, where guys are working together, they’re establishing a rapport, whether that be on the offensive line [and] Matthew with some of the receivers. And so I’m hopeful that we’ll get some good news … and we’ll be able to progress with the group we had out there.”
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
