Four down territory: Rams takeaways after flat performance
· Yahoo Sports
The Los Angeles Rams time in Melbourne, Australia was short-lived and that might be for the best as LA suffered a 27-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday Night (Friday morning for others). Some might question the Rams decision to fly in the day before the game, although that did not seem to be a significant influence on the outcome in my opinion. Why did the Rams lose? Well here are 4 takeaways from Los Angeles’s week one loss to their division rivals.
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“1st Down”: Offense was self-inflicted
After picking off a Brock Purdy pass, Stafford turned the ball back over to the San Francisco 49ers on 3rd & 10 from the SF 35. Instead of taking his underneath option (Terrance Ferguson), Stafford tried to force a pass on a deep corner to Puka Nacua. The ball was underthrown; giving SF momentum and taking 3 points off the board for LA. Had the Rams kicked the field goal on 4th down, they would have had a 10-3 lead.
The other self-inflicted mistake was the turnover on downs with 3:46 left in the 3rd quarter. The Rams could not punch the ball in the endzone from 2nd, 3rd, and 4th & Goal (all within the 3 yard line). The latter being 4th & 1/2 yard. Those are simply must-have situations when down 10.
“2nd Down”: Rams must solve run defense
The Rams allowed 30 rushing attempts for 174 yards (5.8 yards per carry). The Rams won’t beat a Kyle Shanahan offense with that type of formula. No, it wasn’t because Aaron Donald was inactive. The Rams simply did not win the trenches getting pushed off the ball. Chris Shula will need to take a deep look at how to counter the 49ers usage of chips on his edge players as Myles Garrett was a non-factor in rushing the passer but also in defending the run.
Something that will probably matter going forward: The Rams nickel/dime defense was no match vs SF's run game, which looks vastly improved from last year.
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) September 11, 2026
Niners RBs averaged 6.5 yds/carry and a >50% success rate running into those looks tonight.
“3rd Down”: 3rd & Manageable
The Rams offense was one of the best in 2025 because they were constantly in favorable down & distances. In this game against the 49ers, their 3rd down distances were: 5 yards, 2 yards, 6 yards, 10 yards, 13 yards, 1 yard, 2 yards, 15 yards, and 10 yards. The only true conversion was on 3rd & 2 via a Kyren Williams run. The other conversion was via defensive pass interference call late in the game.
“4th Down”: Primetime performance must improve
With 7 primetime games this season, the Rams must raise their level of performance. They will face the Giants, Broncos, Bills, Chiefs, Packers, and Seahawks on primetime television. Those games will be similar in difficulty to the 49ers. If LA wants the bright lights, they must show up.