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The Los Angeles Rams didn’t have the lead for 59 minutes of Sunday’s game against their NFC West rival San Francisco 49ers, but they earned their first win of the season with a dramatic 27-24 victory.
The Rams trailed by as many as 14 points in the game, and even trailed by 10 with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, but they showed their resilience by taking advantage of the 49ers’ mistakes. After a missed field goal by 49ers kicker Jake Moody, Los Angeles quarterback Matthew Stafford threw a 50-yard pass to Tutu Atwell, which set up Kyren Williams for the game-tying touchdown.
When San Francisco’s ensuing drive ended in a punt, Xavier Smith returned the ball 38 yards to the 50-yard line. A defensive pass interference penalty put the Rams within field goal range, and Joshua Karty sank a 37-yard kick with two seconds left. The 49ers’ attempt to pull off a miraculous series of cross-court passes ultimately failed.
Stafford threw for 221 yards and a touchdown in the win, and Williams added two more touchdowns on the ground and caught Stafford’s touchdown pass.
Fans on social media were overwhelmed by the Rams’ ability to pull off one of the most unlikely wins of the year so far:
The Rams were coming off a disappointing 41-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, so Sunday’s win was a much-needed dose of positivity to help the team get back on track.
Los Angeles will look to build on Sunday’s hard-fought victory when it returns to face the Chicago Bears in Week 4.