The Rams defense forced two straight incompletions, then tackled 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy short. San Francisco (1-2) had no choice but to punt, but could not expect practice squad call up Xavier Smith to return the kick to midfield. Without a timeout, the Rams were already within striking distance of field goal range.

The Los Angeles Rams came into Week 3 as sizable underdogs against the San Francisco 49ers, especially being the home team. After their 41-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, few people were picking the Rams to take down the defending NFC champions.

The winless Los Angeles Rams were fresh off a 31-point loss and missing their top two receivers when they took the field Sunday against a rival that has dominated them for a half-decade. The Rams then fell behind San Francisco by 14 points in the second half,