Rams take big step toward playoffs by winning field-goal battle and sweeping 49ers

SANTA CLARA, Calif.  —  It’s happening.

Again.

The Rams rebounded from a dismal first half of the season and they are making a run for the playoffs.

Again.

Despite a nebulous performance on offense against the San Francisco 49ers, coach Sean McVay’s team is now the one nobody in the NFL wants to play.

Again.

On Thursday night, the Rams defeated the 49ers 12-6 at Levi’s Stadium.

Joshua Karty kicked four field goals, Kyren Williams rushed for 108 yards, and cornerback Darious Williams intercepted a fourth-quarter pass as the Rams improved to 8-6.

While it might have been painful to watch, it left the Rams feeling great.

“No style points,” McVay said, “We’ll take it. Proud of this group.”

With good reason. The Rams have won three games in a row for the first time in a season that began with a 1-4 start. They also swept the defending NFC champion 49ers for the first time since 2018, when McVay led the Rams to Super Bowl LIII in his second season.

“Being able to do that, knowing how good of a team they are and knowing the history with the two organizations, it’s huge,” Kyren Williams said, “and it shows that we’re the big brothers now.”

In September, the Rams needed a patented Matthew Stafford fourth-quarter comeback and a last-second field goal by Karty to beat the 49ers 27-24 at SoFi Stadium.

Rams safety Kamren Kinchens knocks away a pass intended for 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel.

(Jed Jacobsohn / Associated Press)

Stafford mostly struggled Thursday — he completed 16 of 27 passes for 160 yards — but Karty was perfect, making a kick from 48 yards in the second quarter and kicks from 23, 27 and 29 yards in the fourth.

“It’s funny because there may or may not be evidence of me saying they were my favorite team like a year ago,” Karty, who played at Stanford, said of the 49ers. “But not anymore. So it’s great to beat them and it’s huge for the team.”

The Rams were coming off Sunday’s 44-42 victory over the powerful Buffalo Bills, a win that showcased a seemingly consistent offense along with a defense that struggled in matchups against powerful offenses such as the Philadelphia Eagles and the Bills.

It rained for much of the game Thursday, and the Rams did not score a touchdown. Still, they won for the seventh time in their last nine games.

“Our team showed we can win football games kind of any way you want in about a four-day span,” Stafford said.

The Rams remain in second place in the NFC West. The Seattle Seahawks (8-5) are in first place, the Arizona Cardinals (6-7) in third, and the defending NFC-champion 49ers (6-8) are probably out of the playoff hunt.

With the victory, the Rams have a mini-bye of sorts this weekend before traveling to play the New York Jets the following Sunday. The Rams will finish with home games against the Cardinals and the Seahawks.

“You can just feel the momentum,” said tight end Colby Parkinson, who had a key third-down reception during the Rams’ final drive. “You can feel the team coming together each and every week a little bit more and we’re peaking at the right time.

“It’s exactly what we want.”

The Rams are getting almost all they need from an offensive line that cleared the way for Williams, who matched the career high he established against the Bills by carrying the ball 29 times. For the second game in a row, Stafford was not sacked.

Receiver Puka Nacua caught seven passes for 97 yards, including a 51-yard reception that set up Karty’s third field goal.

Rams defensive tackle Kobie Turner records one of his two sacks of 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13).

(Godofredo A. Vásquez / Associated Press)

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A defense led by lineman Kobie Turner also got a good performance from cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon, who started in place of injured Cobie Durant.

So Stafford was not sweating the lack of production in a game that qualified as a must-win.

“You score 44 four nights ago or whatever it was and come out here and score 12,” Stafford said. “They both count for one.”

For the first time in five games Stafford did not throw a touchdown pass, but the 16th-year pro extended his streak of games without an interception to a career-best five.

Stafford’s 11-yard scramble was the Rams’ longest of the game. He also sneaked for first downs and in the fourth quarter kept the ball on a read-option play from the four-yard line.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is tackled by 49ers linebacker Fred Warner in the second half.

(Jed Jacobsohn / Associated Press)

“At any point we get down that close, man, I’m doing anything we can to try and score,” said Stafford, who was stopped short on a play nullified by a holding penalty. “And if that means surprising everybody in the stadium that I’m still holding on to it, trying to get in, I’m all for it.”

The score was tied 3-3 at halftime as both offenses struggled to execute in rain that soaked the gray hoodies worn by McVay and his assistants.

The skies cleared after halftime, but the Rams’ offense remained in a fog.

The 49ers led 6-3 in the third quarter before Stafford directed a 17-play drive that consumed nearly 10 minutes. The Rams got to the four-yard line, but penalties killed the threat and forced them to settle for a field goal early in the fourth quarter.

After forcing the 49ers to punt, the Rams finally cut loose.

Sort of.

Stafford connected with Nacua for the 51-yard play, but the drive stalled and the Rams settled for Karty’s third field goal.

Rams cornerback Darious Williams (24) intercepts a pass intended for 49ers receiver Jauan Jennings (15) in the fourth quarter.

(Godofredo A. Vásquez / Associated Press)

The 49ers then drove to the Rams’ 34-yard line, but Williams’ interception in the end zone quelled the threat.

The Rams got the ball with a little more than five minutes left and used nearly all of it during a drive that ended with Karty’s final field goal with 18 seconds left.

Not the most impressive showcase, but McVay was not complaining.

“It serves us well that there’s different ways we can win a football game,” he said. “Now we’d like to be able put it all together, but to be able to do that, that’s a real strength.”