49ers owe their flagging playoff hopes to Deebo Samuel, Nick Mullens and the defense
The 49ers’ slim playoff hopes haven’t been dashed just yet.
San Francisco, reeling with injuries to key players and the abrupt news they wouldn’t be allowed to practice or hold games at their home stadium, went to Los Angeles and completed their season sweep of the rival Rams with a stirring come-from-behind, 23-20 victory that extended their relevance just a little bit longer.
“I can’t tell you how proud I am of those guys and how they went out there and fought,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said afterwards. “Not all of it was perfect, but their heart and energy was and I couldn’t ask for any more from those guys.”
The undermanned 49ers were sizable underdogs heading into Sunday’s game against the first-place Rams. They had lost their last three games by an average of more than 14 points, they remained without starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, and their much-needed bye was marred by a season-high nine players getting added to the reserve/COVID-19 list since the team last played in the lopsided loss to the New Orleans Saints.
But San Francisco was able to get some players back on the field, including many whose statuses were uncertain heading into the weekend, and controlled most of the game against L.A., save for a quick, and jarring, 17-0 run from the Rams in the second half.
The win improved Shanahan’s team to 5-6, leaving an outside chance at one of the final playoff spots, and perhaps a realistic contender for a postseason berth should the NFL include eight teams in the NFC if games are canceled down the stretch because of the ongoing pandemic. The 49ers on Monday morning had a 29% chance to make the playoffs under the current rules, according to fivethirtyeight.com.
Kinlaw scores first touchdown
The 49ers took a commanding 17-3 lead in the third quarter when rookie defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw made his first career interception, bumbled through a 27-yard return that included an awkward dive across the goal line for his first career touchdown. That was followed by a 46-yard Robbie Gould field goal.
It was a big play for Kinlaw, who didn’t return to practice with the team until Friday after testing positive for COVID-19, Shanahan said.
But the Rams, who didn’t get into the red zone until their 13th possession, scored a defensive touchdown when all-world defensive lineman Aaron Donald forced a fumble from Raheem Mostert that was returned by defensive back Troy Hill to make it 17-13, followed by a touchdown drive catapulted by rookie running back Cam Akers knifing through San Francisco’s defense with a 61-yard run before scoring from 1 yard out.
L.A. added a field goal, giving the Rams 17 points over 3:21 of game time leaving the 49ers to wonder where all the momentum went after they controlled the first 42 minutes of game time.
“It was a roller coaster,” quarterback Nick Mullens said. “It was crazy. I feel like anything that could have happened in the game happened. It just shows the grit and determination of this team. Was it perfect? Heck no. It wasn’t perfect at all. The defense played incredible and the offense, I guess you could say we delivered when we had to.”
Delivering came in the form of two field goal drives late in the fourth quarter that sandwiched a key defensive stop with the game tied at 20, allowing the 49ers to get the ball back just outside the 2-minute warning with all their timeouts after the Rams failed to put together a game-winning drive to seal their comeback.
Mullens had a lackluster performance save for those final two series. He finished with 252 yards on 24 of 35 completions (69 percent) and was intercepted without throwing a touchdown pass. But he was good when he was needed most, hitting key throws to receivers Kendrick Bourne, Deebo Samuel and fullback Kyle Juszczyk that put the 49ers in range for Robbie Gould’s tying and winning kicks.
Deebo Samuel leads 49ers offense
Samuel had been out for just over a month due to a hamstring strain, but was the most dynamic offensive player Sunday. He had a game-high 133 yards on a career-best 11 catches, which included a 33-yard run on a jet sweep to get him going in the first quarter. That set up Raheem Mostert’s first touchdown since returning from a four-week absence due to a high-ankle sprain.
Samuel was a demoralizing force for the Rams to deal with throughout the game. He had multiple plays where he broke multiple tackles, and made a crucial 24-yard catch and run on the game-winning field goal drive. His play was similar to the last time he played the Rams, when his physical run on a third-and-6 sealed the 49ers’ win against L.A. back in October.
According to ESPN, Samuel had six catches where he gained at least 10 yards after the catch, the most by any player in a game in 2020.
“I can’t tell you how good Deebo Samuel was today,” Shanahan said.
The head coach was quick to point out he doesn’t like giving out compliments to young players, saying Samuel has areas of his game where he can improve. But that didn’t prevent some effusive praise from getting spilled.
“Deebo’s got a lot to work on, but he’s one of the best football players I’ve been around,” Shanahan said. “It doesn’t matter how good it is or how good it looks, he’s going to get it done. ... So, I love that guy, but he’s got to keep getting better at everything else.”
Said Samuel: “It’s all a trust thing. It all starts from trust, how I am with the ball and Kyle believing in the things he drafted me for. (I) just go out and do that.”
49ers defense looks solid
The 49ers defense was also stellar for the second time against quarterback Jared Goff and head coach Sean McVay’s crew. The Rams had 11 drives that ended in either punt or turnover (they had four), and only one possession with at least three first downs.
Star cornerback Richard Sherman, back in action for the first time since Week 1, had an interception in the first half, and safety Jimmie Ward forced a pair of fumbles, including one from Goff on a scramble. The Rams were averaging just 2.0 yards per run before Akers ripped off his long run on his touchdown drive. Kerry Hyder had a pair of sacks and reserve defensive lineman Kevin Givens, given a larger role with D.J. Jones on the COVID list, was a constant pain for the Rams offensive line. He hit Goff as he threw the interception to Kinlaw.
Next for the 49ers is a Monday night game against the Buffalo Bills, only they don’t know where it’s going to be played or where they’re going to practice, as Santa Clara County has banned all contact sports for three weeks. It’s safe to assume the team is going to follow Sherman’s lead when it comes to getting in the right frame of mind.
“You can’t worry about things that are out of your control, and that’s where you get messed up, worrying about the outside distractions,” Sherman said. “We were in L.A., we had a game in front of us, and that’s all we could focus on. When you step between those lines, everything is understood, everything is still football. When we get off the field, we’ll worry about where we’re supposed to go, what we’re going to do.”
This story was originally published November 30, 2020 at 7:25 AM.
