The Athletic has live coverage of Thursday Night Football featuring 49ers vs. Giants
By Matt Barrows, David Lombardi and Jourdan Rodrigue
The San Francisco 49ers picked up their second win of the season with a 30-23 victory against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday at So-Fi Stadium. Here’s what you need to know:
- San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy moved to 7-0 as a starter in the regular season.
- 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey rushed for 116 yards and a touchdown and added 19 yards on three catches.
- San Francisco’s Deebo Samuel tallied 101 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown.
- Rams receiver Puka Nacua set the NFL record Sunday for most catches in a player’s first two games of a season with 25 catches in Weeks 1 and 2. He also set the single-game rookie mark with 15 receptions, along with 147 yards.
Purdy gets it done
Purdy wasn’t as sharp as he was in Pittsburgh. The quarterback with the often-critiqued arm actually overthrew Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings and Samuel on potentially big gains.
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His best throws came in the fourth quarter with the 49ers holding onto a three-point lead. He fired a dart across the middle that Samuel gathered in for 16 yards. On the next play, he trusted that Jennings would come down with what was essentially a jump ball along the left sideline.
The 6-foot-3 receiver did exactly that for a gain of 31 yards, the 49ers’ longest pass play on the day. It set up an 11-yard touchdown run by Samuel, the game’s only touchdown in the second half. — Barrows
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Niners hurting at CB
Injuries often are epidemic at one position, and for the 49ers that position has been cornerback.
They entered Sunday’s game without one reserve cornerback, Samuel Womack III, who injured his knee in Wednesday’s practice and went on injured reserve. The team also lost Ambry Thomas (knee) and Deommodore Lenoir (concussion precaution) for portions of the game. Thomas returned to the contest in the third quarter when Lenoir had to come out while Lenoir was cleared of a concussion and made the game-clinching interception late in the fourth quarter.
All of the issues meant Isaiah Oliver played nickel cornerback for most of the contest. He had a big game, including a quick-hands snag of a tipped pass in the third quarter that led to a 57-yard field goal from Jake Moody. — Barrows
San Francisco makes key adjustments
The 49ers won the adjustment battle, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford kept the defense off balance in the first half, but coordinator Steve Wilks’ profuse blitz finally broke Los Angeles in the second half. The 49ers intercepted Stafford twice and salted the game away with their usual balanced attack on the offensive end.
The 49ers clearly have their tried-and-true winning formula in use. Their team balance allows for complementary football, which came in droves today. One of the biggest plays? A 57-yard field goal from rookie kicker Jake Moody, who’s proving to be worth the third-round pick the 49ers spent on him. — Lombardi
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Turnovers make a difference
While the Rams made this one more of a fistfight than many expected, a costly interception that tipped off the hands of running back Kyren Williams started to swing this one in favor of the 49ers. Stafford threw a second interception deep in the Rams’ own territory, a jumped route intended for Van Jefferson (his first target of the day). Still, it felt like Stafford and the Rams were in it all the way up to a fourth-and-2, when a missed block led to a filled lane and a loss.
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Pressure started getting to Stafford in the second half after a well-protected first half, and the Rams also lost starting right guard Joe Noteboom for the rest of the game to a shoulder injury.
I thought the Rams played this 49ers team more physically than in many past matchups, and they’ve clearly started building an identity behind more assertive line play and gap running. But a couple of self-inflicted mistakes were all the room a dominant 49ers roster needed to put the game away. — Rodrigue
Required reading
(Photo: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)
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