After two three-and-outs to start the game, the San Francisco 49ers got the ball at their own 26 yard line. On the first play of the series, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy found tight end George Kittle deep over the middle of the field for a 33-yard completion, putting the Niners at LA’s 41 yard line. San Fran would only gain six more yards, leading to a 53-yard field goal to give the 49ers a 3-0 lead with 10:01 to go in the first quarter.
After three more combined punts, the Niners took over on their own 22. On first down, Brock Purdy connected with wide receiver Jajuan Jennings near the sideline for a 13-yard gain. San Fran would then get a fresh set of downs two plays later thanks to a six-yard rush by running back Isaac Guerendo. But, Purdy took a four-yard sack on a 3rd and 6, bringing an end to a promising drive.
After a Los Angeles Rams three-and-out, 49ers wide receiver Jacob Cowing returned a punt 13 yards to give the Niners decent field position at the 30.
KITTLEEEEE 🙌
📺 #LARvsSF on Prime
NFL+ // https://t.co/KTh0i4oaLh pic.twitter.com/CVVImTp8cr— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) December 13, 2024
The 49ers ended the first quarter with a third down from their 36 yard line. Despite a false start penalty to open the second, Brock Purdy completed an 18-yard pass to Jajuan Jennings on third down for a first down near midfield. With a 3rd and 9 at the 50, Purdy missed a pass to Jennings, so the 49ers punted the ball to LA.
With a 2nd and 8 from their own five, running back Kyren Williams picked up 10 yards to give LA its first first down of the game. On 3rd and 10, Matthew Stafford scrambled for 11 yards to pick up a new set of downs at the 26. After an eight-yard screen to wide receiver Puka Nacua, Williams picked up another first down at the 36 yard line. LA’s drive stalled out at their own 41, leading to a punt downed at the San Francisco 10.
George Kittle made a ten-yard catch on third down to give the Niners a first at their own 22 yard line. However, Brock Purdy was sacked on the next third down, leading to a San Francisco punt. An illegal formation penalty coupled with an 11-yard punt return by LA wide receiver Xavier Smith gave the Rams the ball on San Fran’s side of the field.
Los Angeles rushed the ball three straight times to pick up a first down at San Francisco’s 38. LA then ran the clock down to the two-minute warning, setting them up with a 3rd and 6 at the 36. Following a four-yard Puka Nacua bubble screen, the Rams kicked a 48-yard field goal to tie the game 3-3 with 1:05 left in the second quarter.
Neither the 49ers nor the Rams would do anything on their next two drives, leaving the score 3-3 at halftime.
After a Rams three-and-out to open the third, the 49ers got the ball back at their 37 yard line. Isaac Guerendo gave the Niners a new set of downs after gaining 11 yards on the ground. Brock Purdy then hit Guerendo in the flat for 11 yards and a first down in the Rams’ territory. A nine-yard gain by George Kittle put San Francisco in a 3rd and 1 at LA’s 32. Purdy would take the quarterback sneak to the 29 for another first down. On a 3rd and 10, controversial wideout Deebo Samuel dropped what would have been another first down, leading to a rain of boos from Niners fans at Levi’s Stadium. San Fran settled for a 47-yard field goal to give them a 6-3 lead with 8:23 left in the third quarter.
The Rams opened the drive with a 12-yard check-down to running back Blake Corum. Near midfield, Matthew Stafford threw another pass to Corum, who picked up a first down in San Francisco territory. A seven-yard pass on a 3rd and 8 left LA with a 4th and 1, but Stafford would take the quarterback keeper for a new set of downs at the Niners’ 35. After a false start, Puka Nacua took a screen pass 13 yards to San Fran’s 22. On 3rd and 5, Kyren Williams secured LA a fresh set of downs with a six-yard run, setting the Rams up on the Niners’ 11. On the same drive, LA opened the fourth quarter with a holding penalty, moving the football back to the 14. LA would only gain seven more yards before kicking a field goal to tie the game 6-6 with 13:38 remaining in the game.
A holding penalty killed San Francisco’s drive, leading to a punt and the Rams taking over on their own 33. On the following play, Matthew Stafford hit a wide-open Puka Nacua for 51 yards, bringing the ball to the 49ers’ 16. Faced with a 3rd and 2 from the eight yard line, San Francisco linebacker Fred Warner made an amazing tackle on a check-down pass to force a fourth down. At that point, the Rams converted a field goal for a 9-6 lead with 9:28 to go.
PUKA DOWN THERE SOMEWHERE
📺: @NFLonPrime | #RamsHouse pic.twitter.com/QghFvRbxyq
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) December 13, 2024
On a 2nd and 9, Brock Purdy connected with wideout Ricky Pearsall for a 16-yard gain to move the ball to the San Francisco 45 yard line. Two plays after that, George Kittle picked up another first down on a nine-yard pass, giving them a first down on LA’s 43. Soon afterward, Isaac Guerendo picked up a new set of downs on the ground, putting the ball on the Rams’ 33 yard line. On a 2nd and 11 near midfield, Purdy overthrew his wide receiver, resulting in an interception by defensive back Darious Williams, giving the Rams a 1st and 10 with 5:14 left.
After a six-yard completion, LA picked up a fresh set of downs on an eight-yard pass to tight end Hunter Long. LA got another first down after a nine-yard Kyren Williams run and a Matthew Stafford sneak. A little later, Williams used another nine-yard run to set the Rams up with a 1st and 10 from San Francisco’s 38. Following a three-yard run, the Niners took a timeout with 2:08 remaining. A short rush by Puka Nacua gave the Rams a third down from the San Francisco 34 with two minutes left in the game. On 3rd and 4, Matthew Stafford connected with Parkinson for 14 yards to give LA a new set of downs in San Francisco’s red zone, forcing the Niners to burn another timeout. After the Niners used their final timeout, LA ran the ball two times to run down the clock and set up a chip-shot field goal, making it a 12-6 game with 18 seconds left.
The Niners’ offense got the ball back with good field position after a horse collar penalty gave San Francisco the ball at midfield with 11 seconds to go. After an incompletion, the Niners had no choice but to attempt a Hail Mary to tie the game. However, Brock Purdy failed to get the pass off, instead taking a sack and giving the Rams the 12-6 win.
