49ers waste epic performances from Purdy, Jennings in blowing game to Rams

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Deommodore Lenoir was pensive in the mostly empty visiting locker room, one that had cleared out faster than the San Francisco 49ers had managed to blow their two-score lead against the Los Angeles Rams.

“One of our goals this year was finishing,” Lenoir said quietly. “And we’re doing a pretty bad job of finishing.”

That was the crux of the issue in the 49ers’ 27-24 loss to the Rams. It also understated the magnitude of Sunday’s collapse: It was the fifth time the 49ers had blown a double-digit fourth-quarter lead during coach Kyle Shanahan’s tenure, which began in 2017.

But all four before this — 2018 against the Arizona Cardinals, 2019 against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV, 2020 against the Seattle Seahawks, 2021 in the NFC title game against the Rams — happened either against great opponents (the 2019 Chiefs and 2021 Rams were both championship teams) or when the 49ers had bad quarterback play (they were playing backups in 2018 and 2020). 

This time, the wheels came off against what had been a struggling Rams team — and even with 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy playing excellent football. Those two variables suggested that this was a borderline impossible game to lose, but the 49ers’ defense and special teams — coupled with a devastating last-minute drop from receiver Ronnie Bell — were bad enough to defy the odds.

At a team meeting Saturday night, Shanahan told the 49ers that the path to victory over the Rams would be “to take their hope away.” 

Instead, the 49ers — after jumping to a 14-0 lead behind two Purdy touchdown passes to receiver Jauan Jennings — consistently infused L.A. with hope. 

The Rams successfully faked a punt in the second quarter to enable a 16-play, 87-yard touchdown drive. The 49ers then saw L.A. edge rusher Byron Young blow past their right tackle Colton McKivitz to strip-sack Purdy and kill an end-of-half chance at a field goal. Kicker Jake Moody then missed a late 55-yard field goal that could’ve put the game away before another special teams gaffe set up San Francisco’s defeat. That came when Rams wideout Xavier Smith returned a last-minute punt 38 yards to bring L.A. close to game-winning field goal range.

Throughout that comedy of 49ers errors, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford gashed San Francisco with big gains through the air against multiple defenders. L.A. first focused on victimizing cornerback Isaac Yiadom before Stafford hit 5-foot-9 target Tutu Atwell deep behind cornerback Charvarius Ward, who’s been on the injury report with hamstring and knee issues, for a 50-yard gain that set up the equalizing score.

“Different guys, different coverages, no common denominator,” Shanahan said bluntly about the 49ers’ struggles to contain Stafford, who averaged nearly 11 yards per attempt in the second half. 

That might be the most concerning part of the loss. The worst defensive performances are those with so many problems that it’s impossible to pinpoint a specific one. This outing, coming on the heels of an ugly effort in Minnesota that saw the 49ers allow conversions on 7-of-12 third downs, fell into that category.

And that’s how the 49ers wasted Purdy’s stellar game and a career effort from Jennings, whose 11-catch, 175-yard, three-touchdown afternoon qualified as one of the greatest games in franchise history.

In fact, the last 49ers receiver to eclipse 10 catches and 150 yards in a game while also hauling in three touchdowns was Jerry Rice. The greatest receiver of all time caught 14 passes for 289 yards in a 1995 win over the Vikings.

“He’s a dog, man,” Purdy said of Jennings. “I absolutely love Jauan. Just the way he comes in every day and brings energy to our offense with some huge plays and sparks the energy. Just his love for the game — you see it and you feel it when you’re on the field with him. I’ll go to war with him any day of the week.”

The 49ers worked to involve top receiver Brandon Aiyuk early. Purdy even looked for him on what would end up as the first score of the game. But the Rams blanketed Aiyuk and let Jennings slip free, so Purdy scanned that way and threw for the touchdown. Jennings, who was filling in for injured 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel at the “Z” position, later hauled in several difficult, contested catches.

“That just shows you what he can do and how many special players we have around here,” Lenoir said.

The 49ers indeed have a remarkable stockpile of talent, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Even without Samuel and superstars Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle, Purdy managed nearly 10 yards per attempt working with what was available. He also scrambled for 41 critical yards, a total that included a diving first-down effort at the sideline. 

But balance is required to win a championship, and the 49ers have not showcased that since their Week 1 victory over the New York Jets. Both the defense and the special teams have struggled mightily in two straight games, and that necessitates a course correction when the New England Patriots visit Levi’s Stadium this Sunday.

All is not lost, of course. The 2022 49ers also started 1-2 and finished 13-4. But most of that team’s problems came on the offensive side of the ball, which had to work through an early-season injury at the QB position. 

Perhaps the more applicable example is the 2021 season, when the 49ers began 3-4 behind a struggling defense under first-year coordinator DeMeco Ryans before reaching the NFC Championship Game. Nick Sorensen, the 49ers’ first-year coordinator, must tighten the screws on that side of the ball. And special teams coordinator Brian Schneider has plenty to fix, too. Shanahan said the 49ers were expecting L.A.’s fake punt, but the Rams found the edge on that play anyway.

Purdy believes the 49ers have the mettle to emerge from this mess.

“We have been through this kind of stuff before,” he said. “We have guys who have been through these experiences. We’re professionals. We’ll regroup. We have a great culture, great organization, and we’ll move forward.”

That’ll be the 49ers’ message this week, but it hadn’t set into the shell-shocked locker room late Sunday afternoon. That’s where Lenoir lamented the loss at his stall.

“This comes from being too complacent,” he said. “We were up 14-0, and we should’ve put ’em away. We gave ’em hope, and they were able to come back and win the game. We were able to step on their necks, and we didn’t get the job done. We didn’t finish.”