San Francisco, which doesn’t care about time of possession in Chip Kelly’s drag-race football, ran 10 more plays than did the Rams in the first half and rushed for 123 yards, at 5.3 per attempt. Week 1 result when they beat the Minnesota Vikings 20-3. They forced the 49ers into four consecutive three-and-outs. “We knew that was a pretty formidable front”.
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It was that kind of night in Santa Clara, as the Rams feebly stumbled about offensively in their opening night as the Los Angeles Rams and pretty much surrendered all the positive vibes and momentum of their return to Southern California. Even with the turnovers, blocked passes, interceptions and sacks the offense wasn’t doing their part to actually score.
The 49ers made it look too easy when they used their running game to shutout the Rams 28-0. They’re not gonna get him! Ray-Ray Armstrong and NaVorro Bowman each had interceptions as San Francisco outplayed expectations in its opener by cruising to the win.
That sequence may seem like a foggy memory now, just as the rest of the game hopefully does.
Their hopes ended when linebacker Ray-Ray Armstrong intercepted Case Keenum’s latest terrible decision.
Monday night ended in a meltdown for Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald. Todd Gurley was swarmed by 49er defenders the whole evening.
Hyde gained 88 yards on 23 carries. It was probably one of the worst National Football League games that will be played this season.
Gabbert who struggled with the passing game connected with Quinton Patton for 35 yards to setup Gabbert’s 8-yard touchdown pass to McDonald giving San Francisco a 21-0 lead. Donald was flagged for roughing the passer after hitting Blaine Gabbert late.
“The credit doesn’t go to me, it goes to our defense and defensive staff”, Kelly said.
Hyde would score later in the fourth quarter on a one-yard plunge after a slew of penalties stemming from the Rams’ growing frustrations gave the 49ers offense a cheap trip near the goal line.
But no matter how you choose to couch it, the fact remains a 49ers’ defense that the team has quietly been high on during the preseason looks improved from a season ago when it finished 29th in the NFL. The Rams had 120 passing yards and almost matched that in penalty yardage with 102.
Remember, the Rams were alive at that point. Instead, the ball bounced before it reached Smith’s fingertips. He’s so bad that he was a healthy inactive Monday night.
There’s nothing surprising about the 49ers offense.
The Rams defense was supposed to be the team’s strength, but it could not contain Gabbert or running back Carlos Hyde.
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But whenever they’re behind, the 49ers are stuck with a quarterback who lacks accuracy, particularly when throwing to intermediate and deep areas of the field.
