The Rams played into January the last two years, but in 2019, their season ends in December. They were beaten by the 49ers 34-31 on Saturday night in Santa Clara, dropping their record 8-7 – and more importantly, eliminating them from playoff contention.
Here are four takeaways from the loss, which ended in heartbreaking fashion.
Two plays don’t define the defense’s performance
The Rams defense played well against the 49ers on Saturday night, but their performance will be remembered for two plays – both of which came on third-and-16. Incredibly, they each happened on the 49ers’ game-winning drive. The first was on a throw over the middle Kendrick Bourne between two defenders, but the second was the real back-breaker.
Jalen Ramsey and Taylor Rapp had a mix-up in coverage, which allowed Emmanuel Sanders to run open for 46 yards. Three plays later, the ball was through the uprights and the Rams were heading home with a loss.
Outside of that final drive, the Rams defense allowed just 274 yards and 27 points – seven of which came on a pick-six thrown by Jared Goff. The 49ers rushed for 119 yards, which was below their 147-yard average, while Jimmy Garoppolo threw two interceptions and had a passer rating of 71.2.
They’ve had better performances, but considering the opponent and the short fields San Francisco had to work with, the defense did enough to win the game.
Sean McVay has recognized Jared Goff’s limitations
Goff hasn’t had a very good season, shockingly struggling with play-action passes after being one of the best quarterbacks on such plays last year. One area where he’s thrived in recent weeks, though, is on designed rollouts. McVay has recognized that aspect of Goff’s game and called a high percentage of bootlegs against the 49ers.
For the most part, they worked. The majority of Goff’s completions came outside the pocket, as well as on screen passes – of which there were also penty.
This isn’t to say Goff can’t make throws from inside the pocket on straight dropbacks, but he’s clearly having most of his success on the move with the field essentially cut in half. That doesn’t bode well for long-term success, but it’s something McVay recognized and saw as an opportunity to move the ball consistently.
Rams are consistently inconsistent
From week to week, you don’t know exactly what you’re going to get with the Rams. They were blown out by the Cowboys last week, and on Saturday night, they had a great chance to beat the 49ers.
It’s been the story of their season. Last season, they had an identity – they played a bend-don’t-break defense with a strong running game and a lack of giveaways. This season, they’ve committed too many turnovers and haven’t had any success on the ground.
The defense has been much better this year than it was in the past couple years, but it hasn’t been enough to make up for the lapses on offense. There just hasn’t been enough consistency on either side of the ball, with Wade Phillips saying they’ve had too many “clunkers.”
Tyler Higbee has completely overtaken Gerald Everett’s role
Gerald Everett returned from injury Saturday after missing three games, but he was a complete non-factor. Higbee once again played the majority of the snaps, while Everett barely saw the field at all. It showed on the stat sheet, too. Everett was targeted once (zero catches), while Higbee had 11 passes come his way.
Higbee caught nine of them for 104 yards, recording his fourth-straight 100-yard game. He’s become a focal point of the offense, both as a blocker and a receiver. He’s living up to the contract extension he signed this year, looking like a true No. 1 tight end.
