The second quarter featured both teams failing to score from the 1-yard line. The 49ers threw an interception on their chance, and the Rams fell short on a turnover on downs. That kept the game tied at 7.
Here’s what stood out in the second quarter:
Interception at the goal line
The 49ers had the ball at the one-yard line after a sequence of plays where Marquise Goodwin dropped an underthrown ball from Jimmy Garoppolo, then George Kittle had a 45-yard catch-and-run. On third-and-goal, Kyle Shanahan drew up a fade route intended for Deebo Samuel. Samuel didn’t get deep enough on the route and Garoppolo’s throw went right to Marcus Peters for the interception. That has the potential to be a game-changing mistake.
Donald blows up another play
The defense was able to hold following Garoppolo’s interception, but the offense couldn’t get going thanks to Aaron Donald stalling the drive out on a first down. The offense tried to gain breathing room with the ball at their own 11-yard-line, but Donald blew up a run play for a loss of two yards. It was his second tackle for loss on the day. The next play went for a loss of six and they couldn’t convert the third-and-long.
Defense picks a good time to stop the run
The Rams went back to the run following their three-and-out. Rookie Darrell Henderson rushed for 36 yards on two carries to open the drive and get the Rams in a goal-to-go situation. Henderson rushed for four more yards to get Los Angeles to the 1-yard-line on third down. The 49ers line held on back-to-back plays, including the fourth-down attempt to keep the game tied at 7.
