INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Rookie Joshua Karty hit a 37-yard field goal with 2 seconds to play, and the Los Angeles Rams staged a spectacular late rally for a 27-24 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
Kyren Williams rushed 4 yards for his third touchdown of the day with 1:50 left for the Rams (1-2), who came back from a 14-point deficit in the second half for their second straight win over San Francisco (1-2) after losing 10 of the NFC West archrivals’ previous 12 meetings.
Jauan Jennings set career highs with 11 catches for 175 yards and three touchdowns for the 49ers, who blew a lead of at least 14 points for the first time since 2018.
Los Angeles trailed 24-14 midway through the fourth quarter, but Jake Moody missed a 55-yard field goal attempt for San Francisco with 2:43 to play. Matthew Stafford quickly hit Tutu Atwell for a 50-yard completion to the San Francisco 5, and Williams took it in two plays later.
Ronnie Bell then dropped a long pass with 1:02 to play that would have put San Francisco in field goal range, and Xavier Smith — elevated from the Rams’ practice squad for this game — took his first career punt return 38 yards to midfield moments later.
A 25-yard pass interference penalty against linebacker De’Vondre Campbell put the Rams in field goal range, and their rookie kicker buried the kick.
San Francisco threw several laterals on the final snap after time expired, but the play died on the Rams’ sideline.
Williams caught a TD pass and rushed for two scores for the Rams, who avoided their first 0-3 start under Sean McVay in remarkable fashion. Stafford passed for 221 yards, and Atwell had four catches for 93 yards.
Brock Purdy passed for 292 yards, but the defending NFC champions and Super Bowl favorites took their second straight road loss after falling at Minnesota last week.
Both teams were missing most of their top offensive playmakers due to injury in this biannual showdown.
The 49ers played without running back Christian McCaffrey, receiver Deebo Samuel and tight end George Kittle, while the Rams were without Super Bowl 56 MVP Cooper Kupp, record-setting receiver Puka Nacua and tight end Tyler Higbee.
Purdy focused on Jennings, who caught two scoring passes in the first quarter and another in the third to become the first 49ers wide receiver with three TD catches in a game since Terrell Owens in 2001.
The former seventh-round pick had more TD catches Sunday than he managed in the previous two seasons combined as a depth receiver for San Francisco, and his total catches and yards were more than both of his two previous best games combined. Half of Jennings’ 10 career TD receptions in the regular season have happened in two games against the Rams at SoFi Stadium.
Jennings’ most impressive grab was a leaping catch over the top of the Rams’ Quentin Lake for 32 yards to deny a potential interception and set up a field goal that put the Niners ahead 24-14.
San Francisco was in control early. Jennings made a 13-yard TD catch on the Niners’ opening drive, and Purdy hit him for another score later in the first quarter.
Stafford didn’t complete a pass until Atwell made an exceptional running grab with about eight minutes left in the first half. Williams then made a short catch and did a full front-flip somersault over a defender into the end zone to cap an 87-yard drive.
Jennings caught a 31-yard TD pass midway through the third quarter, but Williams rushed for a 3-yard score a few minutes later. Williams had a rushing TD in his sixth straight game, matching the franchise-record streak set by Marshall Faulk in 2001.
Injuries
49ers: LB Dee Winters injured his ankle in the first half of his season debut, but he returned.
Rams: Los Angeles didn’t report an injury after losing multiple players to significant injuries in each of its first two games.
Up next
49ers: Host New England on Sept. 29.
Rams: At Soldier Field vs. the Bears on Sept. 29.