Since SoFi Stadium opened in 2020, the San Francisco 49ers have dominated the Los Angeles Rams with a 4-1 record coming into Sunday’s game. After three and a half quarters, it seemed like the 49ers would continue twinning in the venueknown as “Levi’s South.”
Leading 21-7, all the 49ers had to do was play smart football and not implode. They did implode. After Brock Purdy connected with Jauan Jennings to go up 14, the Rams outscored the 49ers 20-3 and handed them a second straight frustrating loss. The loss drops San Francisco to 1-2 and two games behind the 3-0 Seattle Seahawks in the NFC West.
Even though the loss was frustrating, there were two reasons why 49ers fans should come away from this game with at least something positive. The positives, however, don’t outweigh the negatives.
MISSING: Brandon Aiyuk
With the absence of George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, and Christian McCaffrey, this was the perfect game for Brandon Aiyuk to break out of his two-game slump and prove to the 49ers that last season wasn’t a mirage and he’s worth the $30M he’ll be paid starting next season over four years.
Aiyuk did not do that. In fact, fan frustration for Aiyuk could be at an all-time high. After missing out on nearly all of training camp because of his “hold in,” Aiyuk finally accepted a contract that had been reportedly on the table for a while.
It’s no surprise that Aiyuk is getting off to a slow start. Nick Bosa struggled out of the gate after waiting for his contract, while Trent Williams is so far this year. Unlike those two, Aiyuk was all over social media saying he was mistreated, and the 49ers didn’t want him back. If you’re going to talk big, you sure better back it up.
Despite putting up the most yards he has in any of the three games this year with a whopping 48, this was his least productive game of the three. In the first two games, Aiyuk only received a combined 10 targets, which he equaled in this game. Despite getting a high number of targets, he only had five receptions. It says something in a game where your quarterback only had eight incompletions, and five come when targeting you.
Among the six players with at least five targets this season, Aiyuk ranks last at 6.0 yards per target. Despite the bad game, Aiyuk wasn’t the worst receiver on the field for the 49ers. That honor belongs to Ronnie Bell. It’s also tough to pin a loss on one specific play and player, especially when you blow a 14-point lead and miss a field goal that would’ve put you up 10 with under three minutes remaining, but Bell’s drop in a tie game with under a minute left directly led to the Rams being able to seal the comeback.
While Bell deserves to get some of the blame, it’s very fair to question Kyle Shanahan on why he was in the game and the team's third receiver over players like Chris Conley, who had several clutch catches in the playoff run last season, and rookie Jacob Cowing, who had a very impressive preseason.
Injuries Keep Getting Worse
Starting a season off 1-2 as a team with a “Super Bowl or bust” mindset is far from ideal. But losing key players to season-ending injuries is even worse.
On Monday afternoon, it was announced that defensive tackle Javon Hargrave would miss the rest of the season with a tricep injury. The 31-year-old is in his second season with the 49ers after spending the first seven years of his career in Pennsylvania with the Steelers and Eagles.
To make matters worse, McCaffrey will need to go to Germany to see a specialist for his Achilles injury, which means it’s worse than initially thought, and he’ll likely miss more games after his stint on IR ends.
Purdy and Jennings Put on a Show
With three of their best offensive players missing, all eyes were on Purdy to see how he would perform without all his superstars.
Unlike Aiyuk, Purdy lived up to the expectations on Sunday with his best game of the season. Purdy completed 22/30 passes for 292 yards and three touchdowns.
Over the past season plus, Purdy has gotten a lot of unwarranted hate for simply making the most of the situation he’s in, and to have a game like this, even in a loss, shows that Purdy is capable of being someone who can be the reason why the 49ers win. The drop by Bell ruined that narrative for outsiders. But for people who actually watched that game, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t have come away impressed with Purdy.
All three of his touchdown passes on the afternoon went to Jennings. Even before the injury to Samuel, Jennings was the most efficient 49ers receiver. Jennings is in his fourth season with the 49ers and has played his best football as of late. In the playoffs, Jennings averaged over eight yards a target and likely would’ve won Super Bowl MVP of the Niners held on to win.
With this game, Jennings joined Jerry Rice, the greatest wide receiver of all time, as the only 49ers to have 10 or more receptions (11), over 150 receiving yards (175), and three or more touchdowns (3). Rice wasn’t the only legendary receiver Jennings emulated on Sunday; he always had a signature Randy Moss catch.
If Jennings can remain reliable, the 49ers receiving room will be fine once Samuel and Ricky Pearsall return.
Nice Chant, Good Win, but it’s Still the 49ers' House
One of the most popular chants in SoFi Stadium is when someone hyping the crowd yells, “Whose house?” to which Rams fans, with the help of artificial crowd noise, respond, “Rams House.”
What makes it ironic is that ever since 2021, the first-year where fans could go to a Rams-49ers game at SoFi Stadium, the crowd has been dominated by a sea of red and gold.
Up next: New England Patriots
The 49ers have dropped two straight games to inferior opponents, and fans are panicking. I believe it’s too early to hit the panic button, but if the 49ers fall to the Jacoby Brissett or Drake Maye-led Patriots, that panic button will be hit.
Gonzales’ Three Stars:
1st Star - Jauan Jennings (11 receptions, 175 yards, 3 TD)
2nd Star - Brock Purdy (22/30, 292 yards, 3 TD)
3rd Star - 49ers fans (Taking over Levi’s South yet again)
Main Image via
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