49ers @ Rams
Final Score: Rams 27 – 49ers 24
Writer: Brendan Boe (@BeeBoeFF on Twitter)
With incredible control of this game, the 49ers lost the lead with two seconds left on the clock. Truly astounding, as it seemed they had this game in the bag. Rams had no Cooper Kupp or Puka Nacua, while the Niners were missing Deebo Samuel and George Kittle – but this didn’t stop Brock Purdy from airing it out for a brilliant performance. Opposing quarterback Matthew Stafford has seen better days, and although he didn’t make any major errors, you could tell he’s missing his big playmakers. Regardless, the Rams came away with the victory.
Three Up
- Jauan Jennings – A career day for Jennings, he dominated the 49ers’ passing attack with a whopping 50% of all team catches!
- Kyren Williams – Responsible for all three of the Rams touchdowns and once again utilized as a workhorse with 92% of the team’s rushes.
- Brock Purdy – His connection with Jennings led to excellent efficiency, plus he wasn’t afraid to run it himself for 4.1 yards per carry.
Two Down
- Brandon Aiyuk – He had 10 targets, but only 48 yards to show for it. He had an incredible opportunity to go HAM, yet he still delivered a lackluster performance.
- Rams WR/TE – The one exception is Tutu Atwell, as he had a solid day with 94 yards. The next man up, Demarcus Robinson, only had 32 yards. Yuck.
San Francisco 49ers
Quarterback
Brock Purdy: 22/30, 292 Yards, 3 TD | 10 Carries, 41 Yards, Fumble Lost
This performance was an unexpected, yet pleasant surprise as I didn’t think Jauan Jennings would be Purdy’s favorite target. It was safe to expect a dip in his production with Deebo Samuel and George Kittle being out due to injury, and it was also safe to expect a major uptick in the connection between Purdy and Brandon Aiyuk, the sole survivor of the triple threat in this passing attack.
However, none of these assumptions were true, as Purdy was more productive than he’s been in the past two weeks, putting up three touchdowns through the air – all of which went to Jennings. He displayed perfect ball placement on several plays in short, medium, and deep passing situations, plus he wasn’t afraid to move the ball with his own legs when needed, making sure to slide to avoid injury possibilities.
Several plays had no pressure, giving Purdy all the time in the world to throw the ball; but when pressure was applied, he stayed calm and focused, making no serious mistakes with his reads. He did lose a fumble with 30 seconds to halftime, but credit has to be given to the defense for making a solid play.
Jauan Jennings was started in 5.8% of leagues…
He just caught his second TD and has 20.1 fantasy points in the first quarter pic.twitter.com/VTzHYuKMqL
— NFL Fantasy Football (@NFLFantasy) September 22, 2024
Running Back
Jordan Mason: 19 Carries, 77 Yards | 2 Catches, 11 Yards
To nobody’s surprise, the 49ers leaned on their run game to start this match; rightfully so, as Jordan Mason has been a friggin’ beast. That said, despite having a solid outing and averaging four yards per carry, Mason was less productive than in his last two games as the 49ers heavily utilized their passing attack once the run was established. He had a great start in the first drive with 4 carries for 24 yards and a catch for 7 yards, plus opened the second half with runs of 10+ yards. His only miscues were being stopped twice within the 10-yard line, leading to a field goal rather than a short touchdown. With 76% of the running back carries, Mason is still the team’s lead back and, until Christian McCaffrey returns, is a clear workhorse on one of the best rushing attacks in the NFL.
Isaac Guerendo: 5 Carries, 19 Yards
He only filled in for a handful of plays to give Mason some rest as it seemed he wasn’t needed with the 49ers in the lead for the vast majority of this game (or so they thought). Guerendo is the next man up if anything were to happen to Mason, but that’s his only path to being a major producer this year.
Kyle Juszczyk: 1 Catch, 6 Yards
Mostly used as a blocker throughout the day, but always finds a way to get at least one catch.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Jauan Jennings: 11 Catches, 175 Yards, 3 TD
Three touchdowns on the day with two in the first quarter! 50% of the team’s target share and nearly 60% of all their receiving yards! Incredible performance, a career-best, and easily the #1 wide receiver across all teams this week! With the team’s top two targets out due to injuries, Jennings came in ready to make a statement, filling in as a vital pass catcher and displaying amazing chemistry with Brock Purdy.
He found himself wide open for a 13-yard touchdown, followed by a four-yarder later in the same quarter – he even had some deep catches throughout this contest, including a 31-yard touchdown to make the game a two-score lead. Jennings was a major threat on short, medium, and long plays, and regardless of how many defenders were in his vicinity (at times up to three) he still found a way to deliver yardage. His only mistake was stepping out of bounds and coming back in to make a catch, but not getting both feet in bounds at the time of completion; had he made this catch, he would’ve had over 200 yards. Jenning was an absolute superstar in Week 3.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!
Brock Purdy to Jauan Jennings for the third time today!
This connection is unstoppable 🔥 pic.twitter.com/0KsIXoHgR2
— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) September 22, 2024
Brandon Aiyuk: 5 Catches, 48 Yards
Finally, a chance to see what the $30 million man can do as the clear #1 option on this offense! Oh wait, hang on… *checks notes* yeeeeeah, about that… All the money and opportunity in the world to be a major producer, yet it didn’t lead to a fruitful day for this receiver, as he was targeted 10 times and still had less than 50 yards. To his credit, he made some great plays at crucial points in the game, including a great slant route near the end zone to set up 1st-and-goal at the two-yard line, plus an important catch to move the chains in the last two minutes. He missed a deep pass for massive yardage but a defensive penalty made it so this play wasn’t a total loss. He also dropped the ball in tight coverage, but this was a good play by the defense. His contributions were not without merit, and it’s not that he looked bad, he just didn’t meet our expectations as one of the highest-paid wide receivers of all time.
Eric Saubert: 2 Catches, 41 Yards
He was only targeted twice and caught both of his opportunities with both passes being for over 15 yards each. Not much was asked of him in the receiving game, but he delivered on his pair of opportunities.
Ronnie Bell: 1 Catch, 12 Yards
On his first target, he dropped a perfectly placed ball. Then, on a deep catch, he dropped the ball again as it bounced off both of his hands on a necessary play to seal this game for the 49ers. It was an unfortunate performance.
Los Angeles Rams
Quarterback
Matthew Stafford: 16/26, 221 Yards, TD
About half of his yards came on three passes for 26, 32, and 50 yards respectively, and to give credit where it’s due, these three passes were gorgeous. Outside of these major plays, and the one touchdown to Kyren Williams, Matthew Stafford had a pretty quiet day – not terrible, as he had no fumbles or interceptions, but certainly nothing to write home about. They did win the game, which is a testament to his ability to lead a comeback, but several errors kept the Rams trailing in points for most of the contest. Starting the game three-and-out is never great, as are multiple sacks for losses and an intentional grounding penalty, but they struggled to move the ball on several drives thanks to the stingy 49ers’ defense. Deep passes and late-game mistakes from the 49ers saved the Rams’ day and won them this game.
Running Back
Kyren Williams: 24 Carries, 89 Yards, 2 TD | 2 Catches, 27 Yards, TD
The stout 49ers’ rushing defense couldn’t stop Williams as he scored all three touchdowns for the Rams. Once again he commanded a clear workhorse role and was heavily involved from the very beginning with eight carries for 40 yards in their first two drives. His efficiency could’ve been better with 3.7 yards per carry by the end of the game, but regarding offensive production, it’s hard to argue against his total numbers by the end of the contest.
Williams saw frequent usage in the red zone, worked in the two-minute drill, and converted necessary first downs to keep drives alive. His highlight play was the touchdown catch where he front-flipped over a defender to get into the end zone, but the other two were also commendable short-yard runs against one of the toughest run defenses in the league. With the lackluster performances from the receivers on this team, Williams was a beacon of light and the sole provider of success in the end zone.
KYREN WILLIAMS FRONT FLIPS FOR THE TD 🔥
📺: #SFvsLAR on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/B3woypwrfY— NFL (@NFL) September 22, 2024
Ronnie Rivers: 2 Carries, 9 Yards
Ronnie Rivers was barely involved today as teammate Williams earned all but two carries in the running back room. That said, a direct snap to Rivers for six yards on a fake punt earned enough yardage for a first down to keep the Rams’ offense on the field – a vital play for their victory.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Tutu Atwell: 4 Catches, 93 Yards
By far the most productive receiver for the Rams, Atwell had a chance to display his versatility and deep-threat capabilities. Most of his production was from a 50-yard catch with two minutes left, but his day could’ve been much bigger had a defensive pass interference not prevented him from making another deep catch earlier in the game. Most impressively, this former high school quarterback threw a perfectly placed 34-yard bomb to Demarcus Robinson, who unfortunately didn’t complete the catch in tight coverage. The Rams showed that Atwell has a place in this offense, but his production will vary from week to week and likely be more limited when teammates Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua return to action down the road.
MATTHEW STAFFORD TO TUTU ATWELL 🚀 pic.twitter.com/7m1l2zrS96
— NFL Retweet (@NFLRT) September 22, 2024
Colby Parkinson: 3 Catches, 21 Yards
Tieing Atwell for targets (5), Colby Parkinson had a couple of key plays, such as making space for a wide-open catch that nearly got a first down and converting a crucial first down to get the team into the red zone in the fourth quarter. He nearly had a one-handed catch near the goal line, but couldn’t complete the play. The Rams pass catchers had a quiet day, and Parkinson was no exception.
Demarcus Robinson: 1 Catch, 32 Yards
He only had one deep catch in the fourth quarter and wasn’t involved early in the game. Robinson showed deep-threat capabilities, including an almost incredible deep catch from Atwell, but didn’t complete the play. Considering his 92% snap shares in Weeks 1 and 2, he performed below expectations.
Jordan Whittington: 3 Catches, 28 Yards
He had a nice pair of catches in their third drive, earning a first down on one of them. His biggest catch was for 15 yards to start the second half. He did fine with the few opportunities he was given.
Tyler Johnson: 3 Catches, 20 Yards
The Rams’ third drive is where Johnson was involved the most as he received a target in the end zone, but wasn’t able to follow through; a defensive penalty gave them a first down.