Rams Beat 49ers at Home, Advance to Super Bowl LVI
SoFi stadium in Los Angeles, is a state of the art, futuristic setting for both the NFC championship, and the Super Bowl two weeks later. When asked what he thought about the big show being in his home stadium, Matthew Stafford said candidly “I mean it’s great that it’s here.. But I didn’t give a shit where it was, I just want to play in it.”
The Los Angeles Rams are at home here at SoFi, though many football fans still reminisce about the good years when they resided in St. Louis. The San Francisco 49ers are at home here in a different sense. Coming in as underdogs for all of their playoff games this year, they faced a Rams team who went 12 and 7 through the regular season, and who were projected to beat them again, despite the Niners winning their past 6 matchups.
Both team’s opening drives resulted in a punt, with the first Rams completion coming on a throw to Cooper Kupp, something that would have to happen a lot for the Rams to win. It would take until the next quarter, but the scoring started the same way. A quick route by Kupp, an accurate throw by Stafford, the end of a methodical drive. Nearly half way through the second quarter there were only seven points on the board.
Matthew Stafford is coming into this game having already proven the critics wrong. A long time QB for the Detroit Lions, Stafford had lost all three of his previous playoff games, but made it here off of two strong postseason performances, most recently a late game comeback in a game where he threw for 366 yards to knock Tom Brady’s Buccaneers out of the Super Bowl chase.
If there is one person who has been able change the tides toward San Francisco, it is Wide Receiver Deebo Samuel. In the second quarter he showed exactly why with an explosive 44 yard touchdown after a short pass from Garoppolo that tied the game.
San Francisco had been overlooked throughout the season, mostly due to the man under centre, Jimmy Garropolo. A player who started his career as Tom Brady’s backup and had come under criticism in the past two games for untimely interceptions and overthrows. Pundits have often questioned whether “Jimmy G” was the right Quarterback to pilot San Francisco through the post season, and have speculated that this is his last year, especially with a talented high draft pick like Trey Lance waiting in the wings.
The first half ends with a Robbie Gould field goal, making him 21 for 21 on field goals in his postseason career, and making the score 10–7 for San Francisco. Once again the underdog status only seems to motivate the niners.
Garoppolo has his moments where he seems to prove his critics right. Several risky throws in the third quarter were on the verge of being intercepted, but stayed out of the Rams defender’s hands. With 1:59 left in the third quarter Garoppolo threw a touchdown to his security blanket, Tight End George Kittle. That pairing combined for 71 receptions in 2021. Against all odds the Niners went into the third quarter up 10 points.
But before anyone proclaims the Ram’s season over, Stafford and Kupp have something to say. The former hits the latter for an 11 yard touchdown with 13:30 left in the 4th, making it only a 3 point deficit.
It’s not the explosive throws through the air that make the 49ers offence work. When they are moving down the field it is through a strong run game, short throws and methodical drives. The strategy works well against some teams, but hits a brick wall at times against a defence like the Rams’s. With all-world defensive tackle Aaron Donald and trade deadline acquisition Von Miller the Rams have the strength to hold up the 49ers run game, like they did in the 4th quarter, stopping the drive in its tracks and flipping the momentum in their favour.
The Rams went on their own drive, this time it was Stafford getting away with an ill advised, under-thrown pass that almost got intercepted, but despite the momentum seeming in their favor, they only ended up with a field goal.
Both teams trade drives ending in punts until the Rams decide to march down the field, Stafford tosses a 25 yard pass to Cooper Kupp, but once again comes away with nothing but a field goal. 1:46 left, 20–17 Rams. The Niners have a chance to drive down the field and at least force overtime.
And that’s when the underdog narrative catches up with the 49ers. On 3rd down of a drive where the Niners needed to get into field goal range, Aaron Donald pressured Jimmy Garropolo into throwing a desperation heave. It was an attempt to save his team’s season, with all the dreams of San Francisco fans bobbling in the air for what felt like an eternity. But that throw ended up in the arms of Rams Linebacker Travin Howard.
All Matthew Stafford had to do at that point was execute several kneels, and start celebrating. The camera pans to Wide Receiver Odell Beckham Jr. consoling Deebo Samuel. Samuel said that in that moment “The only thing that was going through my head was; we just lost the game” Narratives do little to soften the blow of defeat. The Rams move on, hoping to show that they belong in the elite of the NFL, that they are truly at home here.
