Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald (99) sacks San Francisco 49ers' quarterback C.J. Beathard (3) as the Los Angeles Rams face the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, October 21, 2018.
The 49ers word of the day: turnovers.
San Francisco couldn’t get out of its own way offensively, handing scoring opportunities to a Rams offense that does not need any help.
C.J. Beathard accounted for three of four turnovers served up by the 49ers (1-6), two picks and one fumble, while Matt Breida added a fumble. The Rams (7-0) scored 24 points on those giveaways en route to a 39-10 pummeling.
San Francisco now has the worst turnover differential in the NFL at minus-11. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said this issue needs to be resolved soon:
“It’s inexcusable. It’s impossible to win in this league when you turn the ball over like we are.”
Shanahan also hinted at consistency as an area to work on:
“I loved the energy our defense came out with. I thought we moved the ball pretty well on our first drive. Then we had a little bit of a setback with that false start that we had, and the next, fumble. I didn’t think we came out flat. It didn’t feel like we were flat. But it’s hard to say with results like that.”
Los Angeles blocked a punt early in the second quarter, resulting in a safety and subsequent field goal. Before San Francisco knew it, they were on the wrong end of a 22-0 hole.
However, they managed to salvage an ugly first half by utilizing George Kittle. Kittle caught three passes for 68 yards, the third reception a 10-yard touchdown that capped a 74-yard drive within the final three minutes.
The Rams kept pouring it on in the second half, getting after Beathard and scoring on three of their six possessions.
Los Angeles’ defense showed up big time against an overmatched 49er offensive line. A defense that hadn’t gotten many turnovers or sacks racked up both. Along with those four takeaways, the Rams sacked Beathard seven times and hit him 11 times overall.
Defensive tackle Aaron Donald was the ultimate nuisance. He accounted for eight total tackles, four sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Kittle was optimistic about his quarterback, despite the negative perception after a game like this one:
“C.J.’s a very positive person. He comes in and works just as hard as everybody else. He’s really good at flushing — flushing a game and moving on.”
Kittle knows that the offense has to help the defense as much as it can:
“Minus-four [turnover differential] is rough. You can’t expect beating one of the best offenses in the league [playing that way].”
The Rams offense was as expected, especially against the still-developing 49ers defense. Running back Todd Gurley had 86 total yards and three total touchdowns, and quarterback Jared Goff had a subpar game by his standards — 18-of-24, 202 yards and two touchdowns.
The 49ers look to snap what is now a five-run losing skid in a Week 8 matchup visiting the Cardinals (1-6). Arizona’s lone win this season came against San Francisco (28-18) in a Week 5 showdown between the NFC West foes.
Prior to Sunday’s game, the 49ers unveiled matching statues at Levi’s Stadium commemorating “The Catch” — the NFC Championship winning touchdown pass from Joe Montana to Dwight Clark in 1982. … Safety Adrian Colbert was carted off the field during the third quarter Sunday, having suffered a leg injury. The second-year defensive back returned to the sideline, but not the game, and was diagnosed with an ankle sprain.
Last modified October 22, 2018 2:38 pm
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