49ers 26, Rams 23: Fourth-down stop secures overtime upset

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The 49ers squandered leads throughout an epic night at SoFi Stadium, up until the final play of overtime Thursday night.

The Rams went for it on fourth-and-1 from the 11-yard line. Kyren Williams, who fumbled at the 1 with a minute to go in regulation, got stuffed for no gain, with defensive backs Deommodore Lenoir and Marques Sigle credited for the game-saving stop.

Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh sprinted onto the field, players joyously scattered to celebrate, and the 49ers had emerged with a 26-23 triumph.

“It was a huge character win,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “… It’s been a good start for us.”

What a way for the injury-laden 49ers to rebound from Sunday’s loss to Jacksonville and improve to 4-1 overall. They’re also 3-0 in divisional play, with a win now over each NFC West rival. The Rams fell to 3-2 by virtue of losing their first divisional game of the season.

Oddsmakers didn’t think the short-handed 49ers could win on a short week, and Shanahan rallied around how the 49ers had become 8 1/2-point underdogs once Brock Purdy was ruled out Wednesday along with wide receivers Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings.

“Kyle came up to me and was pissed about it,” said Mac Jones, who won for the third time in place of Purdy. “He said, ‘I can’t believe they moved us as underdogs more.’ I said, ‘I don’t know what that means but let’s kill them.’”

Jones (342 yards, two touchdowns, no turnovers) survived despite aggravating a left knee injury and being treated by trainers on the field for the first time in his five-year career.

After Purdy aggravated his toe injury in Sunday’s loss, his status is week-to-week, and Jones said he’s simply “trying to get some wins for him.”

The win finally came once Shanahan’s counterpart, Sean McVay, opted against an overtime-tying field goal and dialed up a run for Williams. Chase Lucas, filling in at nickel back for an injured Upton Stout, was the first responder as Williams ran right, then Sigle and Lenoir finished the tackle while Fred Warner, Alfred Collins and more dogpiled outside the 10-yard line.

“We were talking in the huddle and I said (to Lucas), ‘Bro, I need you to shoot that gap. You’re very vital to this play,’” Lenoir recalled in the locker room. “When he shot the gap, the running back bubbled to the outside, and then me and Marques Sigle made the tackle and got him down. Niners win! Niners win!”

Lucas said he and Warner were both first on the scene, then it became: “Crunch to the bunch.”

In the end, their winning points came from Eddie Piñeiro, who made a 41-yard field goal on overtime’s opening possession, his fourth field goal in as many attempts this game. A 37-yarder sent the 49ers into halftime with a 17-7 lead, a 20-yarder made it 20-7, and then a career-long 59-yarder put the 49ers ahead with 2:52 remaining.

Setting up Piñeiro overtime winner was Jones delivering six consecutive completions, to Kyle Juszczyk (12 yards), Christian McCaffrey (15 and 7 yards) and Jake Tonges (6 yards, twice).

But the Rams responded with Matthew Stafford (389 yards, three touchdowns) driving them into scoring position, too. Rams coach Sean McVay went for it on fourth-and-1 from the 11 rather than have Joshua Karty attempt a tying field goal. Karty made a 48-yarder with two seconds left in regulation to force overtime, but Karty also missed a third-quarter field-goal attempt and had a point-after kick blocked by Jordan Elliott to keep the score tied at 20 in the fourth quarter.

The Rams produced back-to-back touchdown drives to that point, Stafford delivering scoring strikes to Puka Nacua (1 yard) and Williams (8 yards).

The 49ers defense didn’t produce an interception for a franchise-record 12th consecutive game, but it came through in heroic fashion, and not just on the final play. With just over a minute left in regulation, rookie defensive tackle Alfred Collins punched the ball free from Williams to prevent a go-ahead, 1-yard touchdown run.

“It’s a must-have-it play. I saw the ball and knocked it out,” Collins said.

The 49ers failed to run out the clock, the Rams responded with Karty’s field goal to force overtime, and then came their fifth win in six regular-season games here.

Next up for the 49ers is another road trip, Oct. 12 at Tampa Bay. Thursday’s annual visit here launched a stretch of playing four of five away from Levi’s Stadium, the earliest such string since 1989 for the 49ers.

The 49ers put everyone on upset alert when they scored touchdowns on their first two possessions, with Jones throwing scoring strikes to Tonges (6 yards, capped a 72-yard drive) and McCaffrey (1 yard, 91-yard drive).

Jones completed all five of his passes for 75 yards on the first drive. Unlike Jones’ starting debut in Week 2 at New Orleans, Purdy did not make this trip, nor did Pearsall (knee), Jennings (ribs, ankle) and George Kittle, who is now eligible to come off injured reserve, although his status is unknown after a Week 1 hamstring injury.

Stepping up in their absence were Kendrick Bourne (11 catches, 142 yards), McCaffrey (eight catches, 82 yards) and Tonges (seven catches, 41 yards).

Shanahan dialed up aggressive calls on the 49ers’ second series that spanned 91 yards in 17 plays and 8-plus minutes. The 49ers twice converted on fourth-and-1 (by Jones and Brian Robinson), they executed a reverse/flea-flicker to McCaffrey to the 30-yard line, Demarcus Robinson made a back-shoulder catch at the 6 on third-and-9, and, rather than secure their first rushing touchdown of the season, McCaffrey leaked out to catch Jones’ 1-yard scoring strike for a 14-0 lead.

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The Rams responded by reaching the 49ers’ 24-yard line. Two plays after converting on fourth-and-1, Blake Corum botched Stafford’s pitch, and it was recovered at the 49ers’ 31 by Trevis Gipson. The 49ers couldn’t convert that takeaway into points, barely crossing midfield before punting.

With Jason Pinnock blitzing, Williams was left wide open to score on a 14-yard reception and cut the 49ers’ lead to 14-7 about 2 minutes before halftime.

The 49ers’ defense, already without Nick Bosa for the rest of the season, lost two starters before the fourth quarter: defensive linemen Kalia Davis (fractured hand) and Yetur Gross-Matos (hamstring).

“Look, I don’t know what the oddsmakers are,” McCaffrey said after totaling 57 rushing yards and 82 receiving yards. “I do know I love this team, the character of this team.”