The Los Angeles Rams had names, the San Francisco 49ers had determination, and the latter earned a statement victory on Monday Night Football.
The additions of Odell Beckham Jr and Von Miller gave the Los Angeles Rams a stacked roster compared to the San Francisco 49ers, at least on paper.
It didn’t matter. At least not on Monday Night Football. Looking for their first home victory in a long time, the hometown scarlet and gold showed out, routing their division rivals 31-10 to move to 4-5 on the season. This is also San Francisco’s fifth straight win over the Rams, who are now 7-3.
Paper and names are great for pregame talk, television, headlines, and hype, but championships and results usually do not come through that method. Frankly, it puts more pressure on a team (Rams) to live up to the lofty expectations. The other side can relax and play free, and that’s what happened with the 49ers.
Jimmy Garoppolo was once again pedestrian for San Francisco but in a good way. 15-19 for 182 yards and two touchdowns isn’t a barn-burner but productive. Deebo Samuel, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy the spotlight, making plays through the air and on the ground. Five catches for 97 yards and a receiving touchdown along with 31 yards on the ground and a rushing touchdown.
Matthew Stafford was, once again, abysmal in a primetime game. After a disaster against Tennessee on Sunday Night, Stafford followed it up on Monday night with a 26-41 passing performance for 243 yards and a touchdown with two picks. Beckham had two catches for 18 yards.
Defensively, Miller only had three tackles. Yes, Miller is still dealing with an injury and playing through it on a limited basis, but the results are what they are, and the investment to pry him away from Denver is well documented. On the opposite side, Fred Warner and friends had a pleasant game, and Jimmie Ward had two picks, one of which he took to the house.
The San Francisco 49ers can play with anyone in the NFL and gave the Rams a large wake-up call.
Glitz and glamour do not win football games, as stated before. They provide headlines and talking points. Kyle Shanahan’s unit also provided talking points, emphasizing that the play on the field is all that matters. Sean McVay’s troops found out the hard way for the second week in a row.
Though San Francisco and LA are still looking up at Arizona in the NFC West, the division is technically still up for grabs. Also, given the competitive nature of the NFC as a whole, who will end up at SoFi in February is still a mystery. Los Angeles is still looking to accomplish that dream as Tampa Bay did a year before, but they are still an enigma as opposed to a surefire contender.
San Francisco is also an up and down team, but what’s to say their formula, running the football and playing strong defense, can’t help them make a late-season push? They have Jacksonville next on their schedule, and if they play as they did in primetime, they could have something going well for them.
Every NFL team has different players, and some have more prominent ones than others. But it does not matter who is on the roster if the production on the field does not match. It’s a lesson that no one wants to learn the hard way but will experience at some point.
This time, it was San Francisco teaching that to Los Angeles, a delight to the Bay Area, and grief for the city of Angels.