Rams get run over by 49ers: Instant Reaction to a tone-setting loss

Oct 4, 2022 - 5:15 AM

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Had the Los Angeles Rams beaten the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football, they would be 3-1, alone in first place, and 1-0 in the division. If only the worst news coming out of Monday night’s 24-9 loss to the 49ers was that they are only tied for first place.

The worst news this week is that the Rams offense was one of the least effective and efficient in Week 4, if not for the whole season thus far.

Los Angeles is last in interceptions, last in turnovers, and they are one of the bottom-three teams in yards per carry. As opposed to last season, when Matthew Stafford was able to atone for most of his mistakes, there has been no such redemption in 2022: Stafford has zero touchdowns and three interceptions in the fourth quarter of games this year and he won’t throw the ball to anybody other than Cooper Kupp or Tyler Higbee.

As Chris Daniel put it in tonight’s Instant Reaction podcast: “I don’t want to see Tyler Higbee to be forced into having a career year.”

Higbee shouldn’t have to be Stafford’s number two weapon, not after the team gave Allen Robinson a $30 million guarantee on his new contract. Robinson has yet to reach 100 yards...for the season. Tutu Atwell was a healthy scratch on Monday. Ben Skowronek is not a viable number two and there is no number three receiver at all. Van Jefferson won’t solve the Rams’ passing woes. And there are not reinforcements, that we know of, coming for the offensive line.

The defense only allowed 17 points to San Francisco’s offense, but the 49ers had not been offensive juggernauts in the first three games either. When Jeff Wilson wanted to run through the Rams defense... he ran through it. When Deebo Samuel wanted to run through the Rams defense... he ran over it.

To give our instant reactions to the 24-9 loss, we recorded another episode of the Turf Show Times podcast. Listen to it and hit subscribe on your podcast apps for Turf Show Times: for Los Angeles Rams fans