Rams WR Puka Nacua Has 1-Word Response After Overtime Loss to 49ers

With a good portion of the offense out with injuries, the San Francisco 49ers got a monumental win on Thursday night against the Los Angeles Rams.

The Niners, led by Mac Jones and Kendrick Bourne, held on to win in overtime, 26-23, as coach Kyle Shanahan emerged as an early season candidate for coach of the year.

For the Rams, it was a deflating loss as many of the offensive stars had superb games but it wasn’t enough and they fell less than a yard short to extend the game in overtime.

Puka Nacua ‘Disappointed’ With Loss

Rams star receiver Puka Nacua had a one-word response for his feelings postgame.

“I think disappointed would be the word that comes to mind,” he told reporters in the locker room. “I think it would be the feeling that everybody feels in here.

“There were moments in the game where we fought back and gave ourselves opportunities to go and win the football game and we just didn’t execute on them.”

Nakua caught 10 passes for 85 yards and a touchdown, becoming the first receiver in NFL history to record over 50 receptions in his team’s first five games.

Niners’ Key Players Out With Injuries

The 49ers (4-1) entered the game without Brock Purdy, Nick Bosa, George Kittle, or their top three wide receivers, but pulled off an impressive victory to remain undefeated in the NFC West.

“We talked about how tough we had to be for four quarters,” Jones said postgame. “It came down to who was going to be the toughest team, and I think it was us.”

Despite a leg injury, Jones passed for 342 yards and two touchdowns, helping the 49ers score on their first two possessions and extend the lead to 20-7 late in the third.

Eddy Piñeiro drilled a 41-yard field goal in overtime, but San Francisco stuffed Kyren Williams on fourth down with 3:36 left to secure the win.

The wild fourth quarter included Piñeiro’s 59-yard field goal to break the tie with 2:52 remaining, Williams’ fumble at the goal line, and Joshua Karty’s 48-yard kick that pulled the Rams (3-2) even with just two seconds left.

The Rams kicked off overtime by giving San Francisco the ball, and Jones guided a drive that set up Piñeiro’s fourth field goal with 5:51 remaining. Los Angeles then advanced to the 49ers’ 11-yard line, where coach Sean McVay went for it on fourth-and-1 — opting for a run he quickly regretted.

“I’m pretty sick right now,” McVay said postgame. “I’m sick of the spot that I put our group in to end the game, but these are the tough beats that you’ve got to be able to learn from and move forward.”

On the other hand, Shanahan was thrilled with his team’s performance, which included career highs of 10 catches and 142 yards for Bourne.

“They were unbelievable,” he said. “We talked about how long this game was going to be, how focused we had to be, how competitive we had to be for the entire time. Started out great, but it’s a good team. They tightened it up. Got real tight, then lost a number of dudes. We had to overcome losing two D-linemen in that game, and the D-line is still stepping it up big. That was a huge character win.”

 

 

 

 

 

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