The San Francisco 49ers had a forgettable performance in Week 10, falling 42-26 to the Los Angeles Rams on November 9 at Levi’s Stadium. Moreover, the defeat is a significant hurdle for their aspirations to win the NFC West, but don’t tell that to cornerback Deommodore Lenoir.
San Francisco’s defense was no match for the Rams’ offense, with Matthew Stafford and company putting points in all four quarters, and most of the damage coming in the first and fourth quarters.
Despite being 6-4, the Niners are in third place, behind the Seattle Seahawks and Rams, both of which are 7-2. As a result, every loss hurts more because of how tight the division race is. Nonetheless, Lenoir isn’t conceding the division race for the 49ers.
“Tough game out there,” Lenoir told reporters postgame (h/t KNBR). “I feel like it was a lot of miscues with just us as players, not on the coaches, because they put us in the position. We just got to come down and make them plays. I feel like a lot of stuff going right for us today, but can’t dwell on it. We got to bounce back. We’re 3-1 in the division, ready to take it over still.”
The 49ers Were Always in the Game Against the Rams
The final score might make it seem like a blowout, but it didn’t play out that way. The Rams built an early lead, yet San Francisco battled back and kept it close before the visitors finally pulled away late.
Even with the score looking one-sided, Shanahan didn’t see it that way. He felt the 49ers were in it throughout, pointing to several moments when they trimmed the lead to a single possession after an early deficit.
“As bad as it was at times, I still believe if we convert that 4th-and-1 in the first half, and we don’t turn it over on the other drive, it’s a two-score game, and I believe we’re right in that,” Shanahan said (h/t 49ers Web Zone). “I believe it could have came down the end if we played a little bit better on offense in the first half.”
Did San Francisco Beat Itself Up?
While the final scoreline would suggest that it was the Rams that did the damage to the Niners, the home side played a role in helping Los Angeles pull away for the eventual win.
“Obviously, the D’s got to get a stop there in the second half,” Shanahan added. “But I still think we could have made that a game. I told them I believe that we can find a way to win any game that we’re in, but if we hurt ourselves like that, seven penalties to zero, not getting off on third down, I think they were five-of-five in the red zone, and then the offense having two turnovers and they’re having zero, you make that pretty tough on yourself.”
San Francisco will now need to turn the page, as they will face the Arizona Cardinals in another NFC West division clash on November 16.
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