INGLEWOOD, Calif. — It was a fitting way for the San Francisco 49ers to punch a post-season ticket.
Left for dead at halftime as they were halfway through their season, the Niners pulled their way back from a 17-point deficit to a dramatic 27–24 victory, led by a stellar performance from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. . Overtime against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.
Niners kicker Robbie Gould scored a 24-yard field goal with 2 minutes, 45 seconds to go into the OT, and the San Francisco defense held on for the win with an assist from the first career interception from rookie cornerback Embry Thomas.
"The guys came together, the guys made big plays on the third down, the defense made huge moves, the interception by Embry at the end — a rookie making that play — all things coming together," said Garopolo, a In his right thumb played through the torn ligament, told Fox Sports on the field after the game. "That was a good night."
With the win, the 10-7 Niners lock the No. 6 seed in the NFC playoffs and meet the Dallas Cowboys in a wild-card round next Sunday at 4:30 p.m. ET. With the Arizona Cardinals losing to the Seattle Seahawks, the Rams still finished fourth in the NFC West and in the conference.
Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp finished the game with seven receptions for 118 yards and a touchdown but fell short of setting an NFL record for receiving yards and receptions in one season. Kupp needed 136 receiving yards to break Hall of Fame receiver Calvin Johnson's record of 1,964 receiving yards set in 2012, and break New Orleans Saints receiver Michael Thomas's mark of 149 receptions set in 2019. required 12 receptions.
According to research by Elias Sports Bureau, the 49ers' 17-point rally marked the biggest comeback in the season finale to wrap up a playoff berth since 1990, joining the 1993 Raiders who went on to defeat the Denver Broncos in overtime. Came down to 17. To seal the post-season bid.
"You want it to go well and you want to get up early and have the pace and all that sort of thing," 49ers linebacker Fred Warner said. "But I think that kind of shows the resilience of this football team, and I think it's the right kind of win that we need to go into this tournament because it's not going to be easy. NFC is full of talent And if we really want to reach our end goal, we have to take it one game at a time and really dial in because that's all we need to win versus Dallas."
After going down to 17 in the first half, history suggested the 49ers were on their way to a long off-season, lamenting the missed opportunities. The Niners, even without their opening left tackle, nickel cornerback, weak side linebacker, punter and strong defense, had other considerations.
Harnessing the same grit that allowed them to start 3-5 and rebound off a four-game losing streak, the Niners received significant contributions from the entire roster.
"Our guys are really resilient," said coach Kyle Shanahan. "Our goal is to get into tournaments every year so that you get a chance in the last one, and our friends, I think it's really tough where you have a season where you lose four in a row. In most places, you lose. go four in a row, it's hard to put people together -- and just the character in the building and the player and everyone around, it makes it easy, you just focus on your work and keep fighting, and that's what our people year has done."
Sunday's victory was the Niners' first victory after suffering a 17-plus-point deficit since the 2012 NFC Championship game against the Atlanta Falcons. Over the past 20 seasons, the Niners were 3-91 when facing such a shortfall, including the postseason.
Similarly, the Rams had never lost a game in which they took the lead at halftime under coach Sean McVay, who was 45-0 in those scenarios since taking over in 2017. The Los Angeles streak was the second longest in NFL history, trailing only. According to ESPN Stats and Information Research, Green Bay 49 straight from 1926 to 1933.
"At the moment, it's a difficult feeling," McVay said. "Our guys did a good job navigating through the season and still being able to win the division. It's a great achievement, but I don't know if right now is a good time to celebrate it. We'll see this movie, We'll clear it up and we'll go the right way."
The 49ers' comeback win was the fourth-largest on the road in franchise history, and their sixth consecutive win against the Rams.
"Everybody plays today whether it's the run game, the pass game, the special team, the defense - everyone played really well," said tight end George Kittel. "We came back and played through it."
To do this, the Niners needed a lot of late-game magic. They rose to tie it at 17 in the third quarter and appeared ready to take the lead before Garpaolo threw an interception to Jalen Ramsey deep in the Los Angeles area.
But Garoppolo, who was listed as suspect with a thumb injury on Sunday, showed his resolve, helping the Niners on an 88-yard touchdown drive in 1:01 to tie with John Jennings with a 14-yard touchdown pass. inspired to.
Garoppolo picked up where he left off in overtime, leading the Niners down the field with a pair of third-down completions to Jennings to set up a game-winning score.
Asked how his injured thumb rests, Garoppolo told Fox Sports, "It was definitely tested. It's football," before adding with a laugh, "It's a f---ing injury." It's on."
"That's it," he continued. "We won and that's what matters."
Jennings, the former seventh-round draft pick who has emerged as a key target in meaningful moments last month, finished with six catches for 94 yards and two touchdowns. Garoppolo finished 23-in-32 for 316 yards with two interceptions for a touchdown and a passer rating of 87.5.
They were the only two heroes on a day when the Niners needed all hands on deck to survive this wild, unpredictable weather.
"A lot of emotions," said Garoppolo. "Throughout the game, just ups and downs, getting off to a slow start and then coming back like we did. It took everything. We say a lot of weeks, but it really happened, and I felt it through the game. After. I know a lot of people in that locker room did. However, it was worth it. It was one of those games you're never going to forget."