Failed screen and punt in fourth quarter
On third-and-1 from the 49ers’ 48-yard line with more than 10 minutes left to play in the game, Sean McVay called a screen to Robert Woods. It went for a 1-yard loss and gave McVay something to think about: Go for it on fourth or punt it away?
The play call was questionable, but the real issue was Austin Corbett’s missed block on the defensive back, which forced Woods to hesitate.
McVay has been surprisingly conservative on fourth down this year, with the exception of a few fake punts. He had an opportunity to push the envelope here on fourth-and-2 from the 49ers’ 49-yard line. The Rams were up 28-24 at the time and there was a little more than 10 minutes left to play.
McVay attempted to draw the defense offsides with a few different looks from Johnny Hekker, but after San Francisco didn’t bite, the Rams took the delay of game penalty and punted it away.
Had the Rams gone for it and converted, it wouldn’t have sealed the win or anything. However, they would’ve given themselves a chance to put more points on the board, potentially making it a one-touchdown game or more.