Rams can point to 4 pivotal plays as reasons for loss to 49ers

The Rams’ loss to the 49ers came down to four pivotal plays.

The Rams’ season essentially came to an end on Saturday night, losing 34-31 to the 49ers. The loss eliminated them from playoff contention, giving them no chance to defend their NFC title after reaching the Super Bowl last season.

There were 126 plays run in the game, but four key moments stand out among the rest as reasons for the Rams’ loss. Here are the four biggest plays in the game that led to San Francisco’s victory at Levi’s Stadium.

Jared Goff’s pick-six

For the second week in a row, Goff threw an incredibly costly interception just before the half. He did it against the Cowboys and Dallas scored a touchdown on the ensuing drive, and on Saturday night, he threw a pick-six to Fred Warner on a checkdown to Malcolm Brown.

It was by far his worst decision of the night, flipping the momentum and score before the break.

With just over five minutes in the first half, the Rams were up 21-10 and in complete control of the game. The 49ers scored two unanswered touchdowns – the second of which was Goff’s pick-six – in the final three minutes to go into halftime up 24-21.

It was a deflating a play as there could have been for the Rams, who looked like they were going to roll to a win over San Francisco. At the time, the Rams had a 59% chance to win the game, according to NumberFire. After the pick-six, their win probability dropped to 33%.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4