Since 1970, 218 teams have started the season 0-3 and only five of them made the playoffs.
Sean McVay probably didn’t tell his players that statistic leading up to Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers, but those are the long odds the Los Angeles Rams were facing with a loss in Week 3.
And for about 50 minutes of game time, it looked like the Rams were destined for an 0-3 record, potentially ending their hopes of making it back to the postseason.
Then a switch was flipped.
The 49ers led 14-0 for a good portion of the first half. With 11:57 left, they scored a touchdown to go up 24-14, giving them an 88.9% chance of winning, according to ESPN. At one point in the fourth quarter, the 49ers had a 95.5% chance to beat the Rams.
Yet, it was Los Angeles that came away with the victory – a win this team needed in the absolute worst way possible.
And I… oop. pic.twitter.com/uTVqIF1GkQ
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) September 22, 2024
It was a mixture of vintage Matthew Stafford, a huge stop by Troy Reeder in the red zone and a missed field goal by Jake Moody in the fourth quarter. Sprinkle in a dash of yellow flags on the game-winning drive and it all led to a miraculous win by the Rams at home against a team that had beaten them nine of the last 10 times in the regular season.
Talk about stealing a win with your backs against a wall.
On the Rams’ final four possessions, they went 70 yards and scored a touchdown, 55 yards and made a field goal, 55 yards for a touchdown and 31 yards for the game-winning score. Some of that yardage was helped by penalties, but it was Stafford who carried a banged-up offense that was missing Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp and two starting linemen to victory.
Perhaps the biggest play of the game was a 50-yard bomb to Tutu Atwell after Moody’s missed 55-yard field goal, setting up the game-tying touchdown by Kyren Williams – who scored three times, by the way. Colby Parkinson didn’t have a great day but he drew a pass interference penalty that gave the Rams 25 yards, leading to Joshua Karty’s game-winning field goal.
Both teams were injured and missing key players in this game. There’s no way around that. But the Rams were 0-2 and came off a blowout loss to the Cardinals, 41-10, in Week 2. They looked to be dead in the water but Stafford wouldn’t let this team sink.
His numbers might not wow anyone – 16-for-25, 221 yards and a touchdown – but he played lights out down the stretch. The 50-yard dime to Atwell was huge, as was a 32-yard seed to Demarcus Robinson over the middle. And the way he eluded pressure in the pocket was excellent, even if he didn’t pick up yards after scrambling.
For a guy who’s now tied for fifth all-time in fourth-quarter comebacks, this was one he and the Rams won’t soon forget. That’s how special this victory was, given their record, the opponent and the deficit they faced.
At 1-2, the Rams are very much alive in the NFC. Heck, they have the same record as the 49ers, who are viewed as the class of the conference. The Seahawks lead the division at 3-0 but it’s anyone’s division for the taking now – especially considering Los Angeles still has two games left against the Seahawks.
This win saved the Rams’ season.
