The Los Angeles Rams picked up an enormous win within the NFC playoff race on Thursday evening, beating the San Francisco 49ers by a 12-6 margin.
It was the precise reverse recreation from the Rams’ win over Buffalo every week in the past after they discovered themselves in a back-and-forth scoring fest with the Buffalo Payments, however the consequence remains to be the identical within the standings.
Listed here are 4 takeaways from Thursday’s recreation.
1. Rams maintain tempo in NFC playoff race
The Rams aren’t in any place to care about fashion factors proper now. They simply must maintain profitable video games, and that’s precisely what they did right here. The win improves them to 8-6, pulls them to inside a half recreation of Seattle for the highest spot within the NFC West and improves their possibilities for a possible wild-card spot in the event that they had been to fail to catch Seattle.
The Rams, by the way in which, host Seattle in Week 18 in a recreation that may very well be a win-or-go-home matchup.
After beginning the season 1-4, the Rams have gone 7-2 of their previous 9 video games with wins over Minnesota, Seattle, Buffalo and now San Francisco. They’re one of many hottest groups within the league and one which no person desires to see within the playoffs.
In the event that they merely win out, they may win the NFC West.
Their remaining three video games are in opposition to the New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals and Seahawks at dwelling. That’s definitely an attainable objective.
2. The 49ers are cooked
Blame the accidents if you would like — and it will be truthful — however there has merely been one thing lacking from this 49ers staff all season. Now their playoff likelihood is fairly gone.
They had been already dealing with an uphill battle and entered the evening with solely a 9% probability of creating the playoffs.
With Thursday’s loss, these odds dropped down to only 0.1%.
It’s a massively disappointing season for a staff that was within the Tremendous Bowl a 12 months in the past and entered the marketing campaign with what was broadly considered one of the vital proficient rosters within the league.
It’s beginning to appear to be perhaps they missed their probability for a hoop with this core group of gamers.
3. Deebo Samuel had a horrible evening
Huge receiver Deebo Samuel was mad this week about not getting the soccer, making a now-deleted social media publish about his lack of passes that turned a serious speaking level all week.
The 49ers appeared to exit of their method in an effort to get him the soccer on Thursday. It didn’t work.
Samuel caught simply three of the seven passes thrown his method for under 16 yards, whereas additionally being flagged for a false begin penalty early within the recreation. The worst play of the evening for him, nevertheless, was a brutal drop on a wide-open move that may haven’t solely given the 49ers a primary down, however probably a landing if Samuel had been in a position to maintain onto the soccer.
