Drops

When it comes to the most important plays of the game, you have to point to the 49ers’ final offensive drive, as they had a chance to win the game and were driving down the field.

Facing a 2nd & 10 at their own 43-yard line with 1:08 remaining, Brock Purdy launched a deep ball to Ronnie Bell, who freed himself open downfield, but dropped the pass.

That was a huge swing for the 49ers, who would’ve likely been in position for the game-winning field goal with a minute to go, but instead, San Francisco had a 3rd & Long that ultimately resulted in a punt.

Bell had a rough day, dropping what seemed like three passes, while only getting targeted three times. That last one proved to be extremely costly, and was a symbol of how the day was going for San Francisco.

Brock Purdy completed 22/30 passes on the day, but dealt with six drops from receivers, hurting the team’s consistency as the 49ers were slowed down after starting the game with back-to-back touchdown drives.

Now, there were some other opportunities that Purdy could’ve taken advantage of, but the quarterback constantly looked to extend plays, making some big-time throws, while also using his feet to move the chains. In this one, his receivers didn’t help him out enough.

Penalties

Penalties weren’t an issue in the first two weeks for the 49ers, as they averaged four a game for 35 yards. But, on Sunday, they were a crucial issue for San Francisco, as they allowed seven penalties for 113 yards.

Now, it wasn’t only an offense issue or a defense issue, as there were problems with penalties on both sides of the ball, and they also came in crucial situations.

With the 49ers up 21-7, the defense had two brutal penalties, as Isaac Yiadom was flagged for pass interference on a deep ball from Matthew Stafford, who was targeting Tutu Atwell. Yiadom was constantly picked on in the game, and this penalty cost the 49ers 48 yards, giving Los Angeles great field position at the San Francisco 27-yard line.

Later on that drive, with the Rams facing a 3rd & 1 at the six-yard line, Renardo Green was flagged for holding in the end zone, giving Los Angeles a fresh set of downs at the three-yard line, with Kyren Williams punching the ball in to cut the lead to 21-7.

A few drives later, the 49ers were looking to close the game out late in the fourth quarter up 24-17. Facing a 1st & 10 at the Rams 42-yard line, Kyle Juszczyk was flagged for a holding penalty, pushing the 49ers way past the sticks.

San Francisco wasn’t able to recover from there, only getting back to the Rams 37-yard line for a 4th & 5. Jake Moody had the chance to give the 49ers a 10-point lead, but missed the 55-yard field goal.

If that penalty doesn’t occur, the Niners had a much better shot at moving closer to the red zone, chewing up more clock, while setting up a more favorable field goal or even a touchdown.

But, the biggest issue came on the final drive. With the Rams already having great field position, Matthew Stafford picked on DeVondre Campbell working 1-on-1 against tight end Colby Parkinson.

Campbell never turned his head around and that led to a 25-yard defensive pass interference penalty, giving the Rams the ball at the 49ers 25-yard line, ultimately leading to the game-winning field goal.

The 49ers had way too many penalties in this game, and there were some extremely costly ones that helped swing the game in the Rams’ favor.

Special Teams

For years and years, it feels like special teams have been a major issue for the 49ers.

That continued on Sunday when the 49ers had a number of special teams gaffes that proved to be costly, especially at the end of the game.

In the first half, San Francisco had a good defensive drive, backing up the Rams with a 2nd & 21 in the second quarter. That ultimately led to a 4th & 6, with Los Angeles looking like they were going to punt the ball away. But, they caught the 49ers by surprise with a fake punt, allowing the Rams to continue the drive near midfield.

The Rams ultimately ended up scoring their first touchdown on the drive, pushing past the 49ers defense and swinging the momentum to make it 14-7.

Later in the fourth qaurter, having the ball up 24-17 with 6:15 remaining, San Francisco had a number of opportunities on that drive, including a Brock Purdy scramble where Brandon Aiyuk appeared wide open for a touchdown, but ultimately settled for a field goal.

With the game on the line, Jake Moody was called upon, and he missed slightly wide left on a 55-yard field goal, allowing the Rams to have a chance for a comeback.

That wasn’t the only costly mistake, however, as the 49ers punted the ball back to the Rams with 56 seconds remaining, with Los Angeles having just one timeout. Having the ball at their own 45-yard line, San Francisco had a perfect chance to pin Los Angeles deep in their end zone, which would’ve sent the game to overtime.

Instead, the 49ers gave up a 38-yard punt return to Xavier Smith after he caught the ball at the Rams 12-yard line, giving Los Angeles field position at the 50-yard line, and the rest is history.

San Francisco had way too many mistakes all across the board in this one and special teams was a negative once again.