The Los Angeles Rams battled back from a 14-point deficit to defeat the San Francisco 49ers 27-24. Despite the Rams being down several marquee players, complementary football was key to the win.
“There’s a lot of guts, there’s a lot of resilience in this group,” said Rams head coach Sean McVay. “I’m really proud of them for a lot of the things that went into it, guys that had to step up.”
The Rams defeat the 49ers 27-24 pic.twitter.com/oKRleSn0d0
— Amanda Scurlock (@Amandtastic) September 23, 2024
Running back Kyren Williams scored two rushing touchdowns and one touchdown catch. With the 15-yard catch, he somersaulted into the endzone.
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“We haven’t gotten to use him as a pass catcher enough,” McVay said. “I thought he did a great job breaking off man coverage and then to be able to have the swag to flip in was pretty cool.”
Williams ultimately had 116 total offensive yards in the matchup.
“[Williams] did a hell of a job. Ran good, caught the ball well, I just want to thank him,” said Rams wide receiver Tutu Atwell. “Everybody did our job but I feel like he was the MVP today.”
Atwell caught a 50-yard pass late in the fourth quarter to give the Rams a first-and-goal; this was the catalyst to the Rams getting a game-tying touchdown. When seeing the deep pass fly through the air, Atwell thought: “that’s by ball.”
“When the ball is in the air, it’s like a radar,” Atwell said. “(Rams quarterback Matthew) Stafford threw a great ball and that’s one of my abilities, to track the ball and going fast and I feel like I did that well.”
Outside linebacker Byron Young made a key turnover near halftime when he sacked 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy and forced him to fumble. Young noted how the team practiced hard leading up to the contest.
“The mindset has been more locked in and engaged and that’s all we did this week,” Young said. “Preparation this week was incredible and we just kept on pushing and got the job done.”
Kyren Williams is having a strong first half with 53 rushing yards and a 15-yard touchdown catch. The Rams are down 7-14 against the 49ers
— Amanda Scurlock (@Amandtastic) September 22, 2024
Special teams made strides with kicker Joshua Karty scoring twice in the fourth quarter. When the Rams defense thwarted the 49ers with 56 seconds left in regulation, Florida A&M product Xavier Smith made a 38-yard return. This allowed the Rams offense to start at midfield, ultimately leading to Karty’s winning field goal kick.
Smith noted how he has been waiting for moments like that since his youth.
“I just thank the 10 guys that got their leverage and blocked for me. That allowed me to spring out and make a big return,” Smith said. “At FAMU, I had to redshirt my first year and my first year here as a Ram, I was on the practice squad. My second year, finally getting my opportunity, the same thing here.”
The Rams will travel to battle the Chicago Bears on September 29 at 10:00A.M.
