The Los Angeles Rams were thought to be capable of escaping their Week 4 tilt against the San Francisco 49ers with a win, but that notion is in question at halftime.
Buy Rams TicketsLos Angeles struggled to move the ball on offense through much of the first half. Constant pressure by San Francisco’s defense has kept Matthew Stafford mostly at bay, though the two scoring drives he led gave some indication that the offense might get in gear at some point.
The team has let the 49ers make a few too many big plays on their defense, and are ultimately lucky to only be down by just one point. It will take some serious re-evaluation of the Rams’ game plan at halftime for the team to come back and win this game. San Francisco has all of the momentum and the benefit of a home crowd.
Here is what we saw from Los Angeles’ first-half performance against the 49ers:
Matthew Stafford excellent when not under duress
The Rams’ superstar quarterback has played exceptionally well when defenders aren’t in his face. He managed to meticulously move the ball downfield on their first drive until a sack near the end zone eventually stalled the team’s effort. They would settle for a field goal and eventually lose the early lead on a long touchdown run by Jeff Wilson Jr. that put them down by four points.
From there, it was all downhill for Stafford and his crew. They managed to score another field goal, but Stafford has been absolutely attacked in the pocket, hitting the turf four times. Right now, it looks like he’ll be lucky to exit this matchup without injury.
Defense misses the mark, gives up game-breaking plays
Los Angeles’ defense has had a mercurial start to this game. At times, they’ve looked dominant and well in control of the 49ers’ offensive attack, but two highlight-reel plays have come to define their performance in this tilt. The pair of touchdowns that San Francisco scored were both impressive and concerning, leaving the Rams with little choice but to adjust and hope that they can force a turnover to flip momentum.
It will take a collective effort to get their team in a position to win in the second half, and the defense will ultimately be to blame if the team loses in this matchup.
Special teams' players are Rams' only steady performers
Kicker Matt Gay didn’t look bad in the first half. He made both of his attempts for three-point scores, scoring Los Angeles’ only points. Though the team would prefer to be scoring touchdowns, they are still technically down by one score, and could make a quick comeback with a touchdown scored on their first possession of the second half.
This game could come down to a field goal, and the Rams seem to have a kicker that is ready to continue making an impact when it matters most.
