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Week 4 of the NFL Monday Night Football game came in and out with a bang. The San Francisco 49ers welcomed the Los Angeles Rams to their home field at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA.
MNF Game Recap
The game started slowly, with the first score coming with a field goal by Rams’ kicker, Matt Gay. After that, the game remained slow in the scoring department until 49ers’ running back, Jeff Wilson, peeled off with a 32-yard run for a touchdown.
The second quarter was as slow as the first, and the first score came in, again, with a field goal by Gay. But, while the Rams quietly sat on the sidelines and allowed their kicker to be the only scorer on the team, the 49ers remained in the action—more on that in a minute.
Ram’s RB Cam Akers looks terrible. Fellow Rams’ RB Darrell Henderson looks terrible. Rams’ QB Matthew Stafford looks terrible. Suffice it to say, the Super Bowl champs of last year do not look like the champs they once were. Of course, if it weren’t for star wide receiver Cooper Kupp, we wouldn’t be talking about the Rams at all.
We’re all asking, “where is Allen Robinson in all of this?” Nowhere. Even though he is on the field, he rarely catches Stafford’s eye. He put up two catches over six targets for seven yards last night. Robinson’s just not earning his keep this season. For $15.5 million a year, we all expect more from him.
On the other hand, Tyler Higbee has been good for 244 yards over 26 receptions so far this year. He has yet to come in with a touchdown, but that’ll come. You’re happy with his performance if you have him in a full PPR league. His current rank of TE4 is surprising, to say the least.
Cooper Kupp has been electric, as expected. He’s impressed with 402 receiving yards on 42 receptions with three touchdowns. He’s arguably the only reason the Rams have started the season 2-2.
Okay, back to the game. The 49ers answered the Rams’ second field goal by Jimmy Garoppolo tossing the rock for five yards to Deebo Samuel, who ran for 57 yards and a touchdown. Samuel looked hot, and with over six receptions, he ended the game with 115 yards and a touchdown. Not too shabby. Especially from a guy who caught a lot of attention in the offseason for his squabbles with the 49ers’ management.
Halftime came and went, and the two teams met again on the field to duke it out. Okay, that’s an overstatement. Five minutes would pass as the ball was run and tossed all over the field, which ended with another field goal from Matt Gay.
Thankfully, the fourth quarter had more than a field goal. Oh, wait. There it is. Another field goal. This time from 49ers’ kicker, Robbie Gould, which put the Niners up 17-9 seven seconds into the quarter.
Minus a dustup on the Rams’ sidelines, the fourth quarter was lackluster until 49ers’ safety, Talanoa Hufanga, returned a kick from Gould and ran it into the end zone. That wrapped the game with another in the W column for the 49ers, who won 24-9.
Key Stats
- Jimmy Garoppolo was 16-27 for 239 yards and one touchdown
- Jeff Wilson rushed 18 times for 74 yards and a touchdown
- Deebo Samuel had 115 receiving yards over six receptions and a touchdown
- Matthew Stafford was 32-48 for 254 yards and one interception
- Derrell Henderson rushed seven times for 27 yards
- Cooper Kupp had 14 receptions for 122 yards
Takeaways
In a nutshell, the Rams are not the team we expected to see. First, they have to figure out how to get Allen Robinson the ball. Second, their offensive line needs to be tighter. Third, is Stafford’s shoulder injury worse than he’s willing to admit? He doesn’t look like the QB we saw last year. He’s thrown for 1,015 yards this season but only has four touchdowns to show for those yards and SIX interceptions.
Head coach Sean McVay is one of the most talented coaches out there right now. He’s smart enough to know the holes that need to be filled. I anticipate we’ll see a turnaround for the Rams as the season progresses. They have talented weapons who just need to be utilized more. Cooper Kupp cannot continue to be the only receiver who Stafford connects with on a weekly basis. It’s not sustainable.
The 49ers are proving to be a team to contend with. Jimmy G has won both starts and has been the answer the team wasn’t looking for. He was primed to be the backup QB after he lost the starting job to Trey Lance. Garoppolo is working with a reconstructed shoulder and will continue to blossom as he connects with his receiving corps.
He has thrown for 604 yards and three touchdowns since taking over for Lance. The sky is his limit, so long as he stays healthy.
That’s it for me this week. I’ll be here next week with a recap of division rivals as the 1-3 Los Vegas Raiders take on the 3-1 Kansas City Chiefs. It should be an exciting game as the Raiders come off a win against the Denver Broncos.