INGLEWOOD, Calif. — As he addressed his team Saturday night, San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan issued a stern warning about the type of opponent the Los Angeles Rams would be on Sunday.
Although the winless Rams were coming off an embarrassing loss to the Arizona Cardinals and were as depleted by injuries as any team in the league, Shanahan expected Los Angeles to play with plenty of urgency and desperation. «You've got to take their hope away,» Shanahan said. «You give [Rams quarterback Matthew] Stafford too much hope [and] you put a ball in his hands at the end, it's not a situation you want to be in.» Alas, that was precisely the situation the Niners were in late Sunday afternoon.
Despite jumping out to a 14-point lead, San Francisco was unable to build on its early momentum because of special teams miscues, defensive breakdowns and offensive errors on the way to a stunning 27-24 loss.
The Niners dropped their second consecutive game, falling to 1-2, and lost to an NFC West division opponent for the first time with Brock Purdy as the starting quarterback.