Fourth-down stop secures 49ers' 26-23 overtime victory vs. Rams

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The 49ers squandered leads throughout an epic night at SoFi Stadium, up until the final play of overtime Sunday.

The Rams went for it on fourth-and-1 from the 11-yard line. Kyren Williams, who fumbled at the 1 with a minute to go in regulation, got stuffed for no gain, with defensive backs Deommodore Lenoir and Marques Sigle credited for the game-saving stop.

Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh sprinted onto the field, players joyously scattered to celebrate, and the 49ers had emerged with a 26-23 triumph.

What a way for the injury-laden 49ers, 8 1/2-point underdogs, to rebound from Sunday’s loss to Jacksonville and improve to 4-1 overall. They’re also 3-0 in divisional play, with a win now over each NFC West rival. The Rams fell to 3-2 by virtue of losing their first divisional game of the season.

Next up for the 49ers is another road trip, Oct. 12 at Tampa Bay. Thursday’s annual visit here launched a stretch of playing four of five away from Levi’s Stadium, the earliest such string since 1989 for the 49ers.

This exhausting win came in stunningly dramatic fashion.

The 49ers scored on their first two possession for a 14-0 lead that put everyone on upset alert. Their lead was 20-7 in the third quarter. No lead is seemingly safe here, not when the 49ers blew 10-point fourth-quarter margins last year in Week 3 and in the 2021 season’s NFC championship game.

In the end, their winning points came from Eddy Piñeiro, who made a 41-yard field goal on overtime’s opening possession, his fourth field goal in as many attempts this game. Earlier, he had a career-long 59-yarder to put the 49ers ahead with 2:52 remaining.

That overtime-opening drive began with Mac Jones delivering six consecutive completions, to Kyle Juszczyk (12 yards), Christian McCaffrey (15 and 7 yards) and Jake Tonges (6 yards, twice).

Overtime would end on the next series, courtesy of Rams coach Sean McVay’s bold decision to go for it on fourth-and-1 rather than have Joshua Karty attempt a tying field goal; Karty made a 48-yarder with two seconds left in regulation to force overtime.

The 49ers’ led from the first series up until 10 1/2 minutes left in regulation, but they weren’t trailing. After Matthew Stafford slipped an 8-yard touchdown pass past Dee Winters and safely to Williams, Jordan Elliott blocked Karty’s point-after kick to keep the score locked at 20-20.

The 49ers held a 20-7, third-quarter lead before the Rams produced back-to-back touchdown drives, the first taking only 2:48 off the clock before Stafford delivered a 1-yard scoring strike to Puka Nacua. Their follow-up touchdown drive — the one capped by Williams’ 8-yard score — featured back-to-back completions from Davante Adams but also defensive penalties on Lenoir and C.J. West.

Jones battles

Jones, starting for the third time in four games in place of Brock Purdy, directed a field-goal drive on the 49ers’ first possession after halftime for a 20-7 lead. But Jones would aggravate a left-knee injury dating back to the preseason. Two weeks after again hurting that posterior cruciate ligament in the 49ers’ home-opening win against Arizona, Jones got hit twice in the pocket, including by Byron Young on a third-and-goal incompletion before Piñeiro's 20-yard field goal 6:33 before the fourth quarter.

Jones finished 33 of 49 for 342 yards.

First scoring drive

Jones capped the 72-yard, opening-drive touchdown with a 6-yard scoring strike to wide open tight end Tonges, who set up the goal-to-go situation with another 6-yard catch. After Skyy Moore botched but recovered the Rams’ “dirty ball” kickoff, the 49ers relied on a McCaffrey-heavy start (4-yard run, followed by two 15-yard receptions) before a 35-yard catch-and-run by Kendrick Bourne got them into the red zone.

Jones completed all five of his passes for 75 yards on the opening drive. Unlike Jones’ starting debut in Week 2 at New Orleans, Purdy did not make this trip, nor did Ricky Pearsall (knee), Jauan Jennings (ribs, ankle) or George Kittle, the latter of whom is now eligible to come off injured reserve, but it’s unknown the status of his Week 1 hamstring injury.

Second scoring drive

Niners coach Kyle Shanahan dialed up aggressive calls on the 49ers’ second series that spanned 91 yards in 17 plays and 8-plus minutes. The 49ers twice converted on fourth-and-1 (by Jones and Brian Robinson), they executed a reverse/flea-flicker to McCaffrey to the 30-yard line, Demarcus Robinson made a back-shoulder catch at the 6 on third-and-9, and, rather than secure their first rushing touchdown of the season, McCaffrey leaked out to catch Jones’ 1-yard scoring strike for a 14-0 lead.

Rams’ first touchdown

With Jason Pinnock blitzing, Williams was left wide open to score on a 14-yard reception and cut the 49ers lead to 14-7 about 2 minutes before halftime. Matthew Stafford finished that 8-play, 85-yard drive with five consecutive completions, including a third-and-5 conversion for 21 yards against Marques Sigle for tight end Tyler Ferguson’s first career catch. Stafford then dialed up passes for 22, 11, 14 and then the 6-yard score.

Piñeiro's points

Piñeiro made a 37-yard field goal for a 17-7 lead as the first half expired, capping a two-minute drill that saw third-down conversions in Rams territory by Tonges (11-yard catch) and McCaffrey (8-yard run to the 27).

Fumble recovery

Down 14-0, the Rams responded by reaching the 49ers' 24-yard line. Two plays after converting on fourth-and-1, the Rams lost the ball, specifically Blake Corum botched Matthew Stafford’s pitch, and it was recovered at the 49ers’ 31 by Trevis Gipson. The 49ers couldn’t convert that takeaway into points, barely crossing midfield before punting.

Injuries

The 49ers’ defense, already without Nick Bosa the rest of the season, lost two starters before the fourth quarter: defensive linemen Kalia Davis (hand) and Yetur Gross-Matos (hamstring). Dee Winters returned from a shoulder injury.