By Jay Rosquites
EBC Florida Bureau
SANTA CLARA, CA (Eagle News) – In their second NFC West showdown of the season, the San Francisco 49ers rallied from behind with a 19-point fourth quarter, but fell short to the Los Angeles Rams 41-38 at Levi’s Stadium.
The 49ers had much to prove after losing a close game last week to the Seattle Seahawks. On the first play of the opening drive, 49ers quarterback Brian Hoyer threw an interception right into the hands of Rams defensive back, Nickell Robey for a pick-6. However, Hoyer made up the error by leading the offense down the field on the next drive and scored a 9-yard rushing touchdown. From then, the 49ers and Rams battled for ball control until the Rams secured an 11 point lead heading into halftime.
In the second half, the 49ers defense gave up 17 points until the team pulled off a furious rally, cutting the deficit to 8 points in the 4th quarter. Hoyer found Trent Taylor in the end zone with five minutes left in the game. The 49ers special teams forced a fumble on a return kick and on the next 49ers drive, running back Carlos Hyde scored on a 1-yard touchdown to bring the deficit to 2 points. With sights set to score on a 2-point conversion Hoyer failed on a passing attempt to tie the game.
In the final attempt to gain back ball control, the 49ers special teams caught a break when they recovered an onside kick brilliantly executed by kicker, Robbie Gould. However, the valiant effort came up short after the offense failed to march up the field and in the final play, Hoyer was sacked by Rams defensive lineman, Aaron Donald, ultimately ending a thrilling comeback attempt.
“When you’re 0-3 and facing some adversity, you know, you either get better or worse. And, when you get mentally strong people, I believe we can get better from all this stuff and I believe we have the right guys in that room”, stated Kyle Shanahan, who still is looking for his first win as a Head Coach.
The 49ers have a 10-day stretch until they face the Arizona Cardinals, who boasts of a great receiving core and a strong run game. The 49ers hope to recover from some injuries within that time span, regroup, and attempt to pull off a win in Arizona, which they haven’t done since the 2013 NFL season.
(Eagle News)