Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams completed the perfect comeback on Sunday afternoon.
Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers led for much of the game behind a career-best performance from wide receiver Jauan Jennings, but the Rams closed out the game by scoring 13 straight points to take a 27-24 victory at SoFi Stadium.
The win gave the Rams their first win of the season and left the 49ers, who were missing stars Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel Sr. and George Kittle due to various injuries, at 1-2 this season.
Stafford trailed 21-7 just after halftime but chipped away at San Francisco’s lead in the second half. Running back Kyren Williams capped off a quick drive late in the third quarter with a 3-yard touchdown run, his second of the day after a 15-yard catch in the second quarter.
Then, after the two teams traded field goals early in the fourth quarter, Stafford orchestrated a quick touchdown drive with less than a minute to play to tie the score for the first time since the season opener. He found wide receiver Tutu Atwell 50 yards down the sideline to move the Rams inside the five-yard line and ultimately set up Williams for another touchdown.
The Rams then forced a quick punt to get the ball back, and Stafford drew a pass interference foul and quickly advanced to field goal position to start a drive that led to Joshua Carty’s 37-yard field goal, Carty’s first career game-winning kick.
Stafford was 16 of 26 for 221 yards and a touchdown in the win. Williams rushed 24 times for 89 yards and two touchdowns and had two catches for 27 yards and another touchdown. Atwell led the team with four catches for 93 yards through the air. The Rams are without star receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua with ankle and knee injuries.
Purdy, despite being without most of his weapons, played very solid for much of the game, completing 22 of 30 passes for 292 yards and three touchdowns, and also ran 10 times for 41 yards. Jordan Mason added 77 yards on 19 runs.
Jennings had the best game of his career with the 49ers, finishing with 11 catches for 175 receiving yards and three touchdowns, his first career game with 100+ yards receiving. He became the first 49ers wide receiver to record three receiving touchdowns in the same game since Terrell Owens in 2001.
McCaffrey has yet to play for San Francisco this season because of a calf injury and Achilles tendinitis. He is on injured reserve and will miss at least two more games. Kittle missed Saturday’s game with a hamstring injury and Samuel missed Saturday’s game with a calf injury. The latter two injuries do not appear to be as serious as McCaffrey’s.
It was a rare moment for the 49ers, who have not played a game in their past 30 regular-season games without McCaffrey, Kittle and Samuel at the same time since acquiring McCaffrey from the Carolina Panthers during the 2022 season. It also marked their first game without both Kittle and Samuel since their loss to the Dallas Cowboys in 2020.
The 49ers were nearly able to pull off a win without their offensive trio, but their absence was felt late Sunday afternoon as the 49ers attempt to snap a two-game losing streak next weekend against the New England Patriots.