Entering the fourth quarter, the Los Angeles Rams held a 21-7 lead against the San Francisco 49ers. At the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, fans witnessed an exciting contest, with Todd Gurley and Jared Goff leading the offensive charge.
However, it seems that the Rams and interim head coach John Fassel may have lifted their foot off the throttle, as the 49ers slowly climbed back into the game.
On what was shaping as their final drive of the game, Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers traveled down the field and scored a touchdown, bringing them within a point. However, head coach Chip Kelly elected to go for a two-point conversion and the win.
Kaepernick scrambled around and eventually ran it in for a successful conversion, giving the 49ers an eventual 22-21 win. In a twist of events, the offense was able to build a lead, while the defense was unable to close the deal.
After the game, Pro Bowler Aaron Donald stated that the team didn’t convert on the opportunities they had and need to rebound for the last regular season game, via TheRams.com:
“I feel like we had opportunities,” Donald said. “It was put in our hands to get off the field and give the ball back to the offense and I feel like we ain’t do that. Could have got after the quarterback a little bit more that last drive and try to help a little more, but what happened, happened. We just got to try to move on finish this last game strong.”
Donald finished the game with five tackles (four solo), with a sack, a tackle for loss and two quarterback hits. In odd fashion, this game had spurts of scoring, with both teams going scoreless in the second and third quarters.
With one game remaining for the Rams, Fassel and the organization have a last chance to evaluate the roster, heading into an offseason filled with optimism.
Upon allowing back-to-back scoring drives for the 49ers, it is easy to see why Donald would be frustrated. Aside from all the increased pressure and awareness he is facing, it seems like the entire defense wasn’t able to muster up one last stop.
Donald stated the lack of consistency from the offense and defense couldn’t be blamed, as this loss is chalked up to the entire Rams’ roster:
“It don’t matter,” Donald stated. “They still put points up. We was in the lead and we gave up. We were still in the game, we were winning in the fourth quarter and we ain’t finish, so it’s not the offense, it’s a team game and we lost as a team today.”
The Rams finish out the regular season with a Week 17 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals, at the Memorial Coliseum. That final game will not only mark the end of a disastrous transition to the Los Angeles, but hopefully a step in the right direction for the organization.
