San Francisco 49ers 27-24 Los Angeles Rams: Robbie Gould's field goal in overtime helps 49ers clinch playoff spot with victory against Rams
Jimmy Garoppolo finishes 23 of 32 passing for 316 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, launching a five-play 88-yard touchdown drive in the final minutes to send the game to overtime as the 49ers beat the Rams to seal a playoff berth.
Monday 10 January 2022 02:02, UK
Robbie Gould kicked a 24-yard field goal with 2.48 to play in overtime as the San Francisco 49ers overturned a 17-point deficit to beat the Los Angeles Rams 27-24 and clinch a playoff spot on a dramatic final day of the regular season.
Story of the Game
The Rams were confirmed as NFC West champions while trailing in overtime thanks to the Seattle Seahawks' victory over the Arizona Cardinals elsewhere, but slipped behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Dallas Cowboys into the fourth seed in the NFC as a consequence of their fifth straight defeat to their division rivals.
Victory for San Francisco was decided when Ambry Thomas intercepted Matthew Stafford's deep-ball intended for Odell Beckham Jr. as the Rams were seeking a response to Gould's go-ahead field goal.
Sean McVay's side had led 17-3 at the break following a couple of Tyler Higbee touchdowns, eventual defeat snapping the Rams head coach's 45-0 record while leading at half-time.
The Rams appeared on course for victory when Cooper Kupp planted his feet inbounds at the back of the end zone while coming down with a four-yard touchdown to make it 24-17 in the hosts' favour with 5.13 remaining in the fourth quarter.
It served as punishment for Jimmy Garoppolo's interception at the other end of the field on the previous drive, Jalen Ramsey juggling a bobbled pass meant for George Kittle before finally getting control of the ball in the end zone.
With 26 seconds on the clock, the 49ers quarterback responded impressively as he picked out a wide-open Jauan Jennings for a 14-yard game-tying touchdown to send the contest to overtime after a five-play, 88-yard march including a 43-yard catch-and-run from the exceptional Deebo Samuel.
Samuel finished the game with four catches for 95 yards as well as eight carries for 45 yards having played an instrumental role in the 49ers' early second-half fightback.
He scurried in from 16 yards out to ice his side's opening drive of the third quarter, before receiving the handoff from Garoppolo and floating a 24-yard strike to Jennings to level the game at 17-17 after Shanahan had called 10 successive run plays to take control of the tempo.
Stafford was then intercepted by Emmanuel Moseley while looking deep to Ben Skowronek on third-and-16 on the ensuing possession.
The Rams quarterback finished 21 of 32 for three touchdowns and two interceptions on the day, while Garoppolo came back well from to his two interceptions to go 23 of 32 for 316 yards and a score.
It was Los Angeles that dominated the early exchanges when tight end Higbee reeled in two and 15-yard touchdown passes from Stafford before Garoppolo was picked off by Taylor Rapp to leave the 49ers facing a 17-0 deficit.
Gould gave Shanahan's side their first points of the game with a 42-yard field goal on the brink of half-time, and was the man responsible for completing the comeback when he split the posts in overtime.
Stats Leaders
49ers
- Passing: Jimmy Garoppolo, 23/32, 316 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT
- Rushing: Elijah Mitchell, 21 carries, 85 yards
- Receiving: Brandon Aiyuk, six catches, 107 yards
- Deebo Samuel, four catches, 95 yards
- Jauan Jennings, six catches, 94 yards, 2 TDs
Rams
- Passing: Matthew Stafford, 21/32, 238 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs
- Rushing: Sony Michel, 21 carries, 43 yards
- Receiving: Cooper Kupp, seven catches, 118 yards, 1 TD
- Tyler Higbee six catches, 55 yards, 2 TDs
Scoring Summary
What's Next?
Los Angeles, as the fourth seed, will meet Kyler Murray and the Cardinals in the first round of the playoffs, while the 49ers take on the third-seeded Cowboys.
Sky Sports NFL is your dedicated channel for NFL coverage through the season - featuring a host of NFL Network programming. Don't forget to follow us on skysports.com/nfl, our Twitter account @SkySportsNFL & Sky Sports - on the go!
