The Los Angeles Rams picked up a huge win over the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday Night Football to pull within a half-game behind the Seattle Seahawks for first place in the NFC West.
The Rams came away with the victory despite not scoring a touchdown in what was a rainy night at Levi’s Stadium. L.A. was boosted by Joshua Karty making all four of his field goal attempts and their defense keeping San Francisco out of the end zone.
While the Rams pulled out an important win, it came at a loss as outside linebacker Nick Hampton sustained a season-ending pectoral injury against the 49ers. “Yeah, typical bumps and bruises. Unfortunately, Nick Hampton tore his ‘pec’ [pectoral], so that’ll require season-ending surgery,” head coach Sean McVay said after the game.
“He’s done a really good job for us, been a major contributor on special teams and has been a very reliable player if he’s had to come in as an outside [line] backer. That’s a bummer for Nick but he’ll attack his rehab and be back stronger next year. That was the only one that we got.”
Hampton hasn’t played much on defense this season, but was an important contributor on special teams as he saw 61% of the snaps.
The second-year player out of Appalachian State was selected by the Rams in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He recorded three tackles and one pass defensed in 14 games this season.
Hampton heading to injured reserve will free up a roster spot for the Rams, which they can fill with a player on their practice squad or a free agent.
Kyren Williams: Sweeping 49ers makes Rams ‘big brothers’
The Rams completed a season sweep of the 49ers for the first time since 2018, which Kyren Williams felt should not go unnoticed.
“It means everything, honestly,” Williams said about sweeping the 49ers this season. “On the way here, our pilot said ‘Go sweep the Niners.’ And when he said that I was like dang, we really could sweep the Niners. I don’t think I’ve done that since I’ve been here. So being able to do that knowing how good of a team they are and knowing the history with the two organizations, that makes it huge and it shows that we’re the big brothers now.”
Williams rushed for 108 yards on 29 carries against the 49ers, which was the third time this season he crossed the century mark.
