49ers Bulletin: Still basking in that Thursday night glow

Still buzzing from Thursday night’s improbable victory over the Rams in Los Angeles? Us too. Mac Jones and the incredibly shorthanded 49ers rolled into SoFi Stadium as 8.5 point underdogs at the time of kickoff. The decimated Niners weren’t given much of a chance by pundits, who can’t really be blamed for their pessimism ahead of this one. All San Francisco did was dominate the first quarter, and make enough big plays late in the game to hold off the Rams in overtime, securing the most gutsy win of the season across the league, and one of the most impressive regular season victories in the Kyle Shanahan era.

It’s amazing what a short week can do for a team coming off a tough loss. San Francisco dropped a home game to Jacksonville on the previous Sunday, playing about as bad as a team can play. Maybe the short week was exactly what the team needed, at least from a mental standpoint. Fromn a physical standpoint it was certainly not what the doctor ordered, but a win is a win. And a win as gutsy as this one can do wonders for a locker room that was licking its wounds heading into week five. 

We can reasonably enjoy the highlights of this win for a few more days befor completely turning our attention to Tampa. Relive the game’s biggest moments as told by KNBR’s Guy Haberman and Tim Ryan:

A forgotten hero in a game that featured many for the 49ers was still new-ish kicker Eddy Piñeiro. Piñeiro missed his first PAT as a Niner early in week two, but he’s been perfect ever since. He’s known as an accurate kicker, but one that doesn’t necessarily have the range for a long bomb in his arsenal. Well, don’t tell Eddy that. He blasted a 59-yarder in the fourth quarter on Thursday, tucking it inside the left upright to give the Niners a lead. Shanahan considered a punt, but put his faith in the veteran leg.

No good can be enjoyed without a standard amount of NFL drama. As Mac Jones put forth a valiant effort in the win, rumors of a dreaded quarterback controversy have sprouted. These rumors are just that. Mac Jones made sure that the focus didn’t shift from a great team win to any sort of controversy. As well as he played, a healthy Brock Purdy is still an upgrade.

When Nick Bosa suffered a season ending knee injury in week three, it became immediately apparent that if the 49ers were to contend in 2025, they’ll need a very young crop of defensive linemen to become impact guys in short order. That prophecy looked doomed against the Jags, but it looked a whole lot more promising on Thursday night. Rookie second round pick Alfred Collins stamped his name on his first NFL signature moment late in the game, when he punched the ball out of Rams’ RB Kyren Williams’ arms at the 1-yard-line. What was going to be a lead changing touchdown for LA was suddenly a turnover. Collins summed up the clutch play in simple terms. It was simply a must have for the bend don’t break 49er defense.

The win wasn’t yet secured even at that point. The Niners were backed up inside their own 1-yard-line, and the Rams still had all three timeouts. Shanahan went ultra conservative, running the ball into a stacked box on three straight plays, allowing, or forcing depending on how much you like the strategy, Sean McVay to use all three of his timeouts. The Rams got the ball back and were able to tie the game with a field goal on the ensuing posession.

San Francisco took the ball first in overtime, then drove for a field goal to begin the extra period. Sorry for the PTSD, Faithful. When the Rams got the rock with a chance to win the game with a touchdown, Robert Saleh’s defense flexed its muscles one final time. The Rams were faced with a 4th-and-1, (Again, PTSD warning) and opted to put the game on the ground, running up the gut to try to gain a yard. You know what happened next.

We’ll see ya in Tampa.