The 49ers (2-2) have won seven-straight regular-season games over the Rams (2-2), though they also gained revenge for defeat in their most recent meeting, last year's NFC Championship; watch Thursday Night Football - Colts @ Broncos - live on Sky Sports NFL, 1.20am, Friday
Tuesday 4 October 2022 08:38, UK
Deebo Samuel caught six passes for 115 yards, including a 57-yard score, and Talanoa Hufanga returned an interception 52 yards for a touchdown to see the San Francisco 49ers to a handy 24-9 victory over the defending-champion Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football.
Jimmy Garoppolo completed 16 of 27 passes for 239 yards and one touchdown, while Jeff Wilson Jr. rushed for 74 yards and one score as San Francisco (2-2) won their seventh-straight regular-season game over the Rams (2-2).
Of course, the Los Angeles had won the biggest and most recent meeting between the two teams, however, beating the 49ers in last season's NFC Championship Game en route to winning the Super Bowl.
The Niners gained revenge on Monday night, with a dominant defense restricting the explosive Rams offense to just nine points, with Nick Bosa and Samson Ebukam each returning two of San Francisco's seven sacks on the night. Bosa now leads the NFL with six on the season through four weeks.
Matthew Stafford connected on 32 of 48 passes for 254 yards and that pick six to Hufanga in the fourth quarter to ice the win for the 49ers.
Cooper Kupp caught a career-best 14 passes for 122 yards, while tight end Tyler Higbee had 10 grabs for 73 yards, but the Rams couldn't find the endzone and dealt exclusively in field goals, with Matt Gay kicking three of them.
Hufanga made his big play when Stafford was trying to rally the Rams from an eight-point, fourth-quarter deficit. The San Francisco second-year safety, anticipating that Stafford would look for Kupp, jumped the route and returned the interception 52 yards for the TD.
Earlier, after LA opened the scoring with Gay's first 39-yard FG, the 49ers nudged ahead courtesy of a Wilson 32-yard touchdown run.
Gay booted a further 29-yard field goal with just over six minutes left in the half, before Samuel stretched San Francisco's lead with his sensational 57-yard catch and run score - breaking tackles from Taylor Rapp and Jalen Ramsey as he weaved his way to the endzone.
Both teams tacked on a couple more field goals in the second half, although Robbie Gould missed with a second attempt that would have further increased the 49ers advantage, before the game was ultimately put to bed by Hufanga - the fourth 49ers pick six in their last six regular-season games against the Rams - midway through the fourth quarter.
49ers
49ers wide receiver, Deebo Samuel: "Every time I get a chance to get the ball in my hands, that's my mentality of trying to make it a big play - it's second nature to me right now.
"It's just the vision. I think I see the field pretty well and just go out there and break tackles and do what I do."
49ers defensive end, Nick Bosa: "I think [our defense] it's best in the league. That's kind of our mindset every year, and this year we have the personnel to do it. Not that we haven't in the past, but just all three levels are elite players."
Rams head coach, Sean McVay: "The story of the night from an offensive perceptive was self-inflicted wounds.
"It's just above the neck errors where we're not doing the things that we are capable of and I expect us to be better than that."
Week Five in the NFL kicks off with the Indianapolis Colts (1-2-1) travelling to the Denver Broncos (2-2) on Thursday Night Football, with both teams looking to rectify an inconsistent start to the season. Watch the game live on Sky Sports NFL from 1.20am on Friday morning.
As for the 49ers, they visit the struggling Carolina Panthers (1-3) on Sunday at 9.05pm, while the Rams look to get back to winning ways as they welcome the red-hot Dallas Cowboys (3-1) to Los Angeles off the back of three-straight wins, that one kicking off at 9.25pm on Sunday.
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