RamView live blog: 49ers 19, Rams SUCK

(R-rated language has been edited out. Sorry. That I use it, I mean, not that I edited it out.)

Preseason 2016 starts in about an hour for the Rams in San Francisco. They'll be going for the Jeff Fisher Era high-water mark of 8-8, but will have to do it without Todd Gurley, who's out of this game (and I assume the Pro Bowl) due to a foot injury suffered late in last week's win in Seattle. Gurley ran for 133 in the first 49er game, but without him, I fear we're in for three hours of setting NFL offense back by decades. My guess is a 12-9 game that'll be won in OT by whoever loses the coin toss. KEENUM! GABBERT! FEEL THE RUSH! I'm not convinced we won't end this day deciding the best football team in the area plays for Stanford.

Make note that this week's game, for some inexplicable reason, is on CBS. Announce team will be Tom McCarthy, who you've never heard of unless you're a Phillies fan, and someone you have heard of, Adam Archuleta. Walt Coleman draws the refereeing assignment; the last Rams game he called was the 12-6 Thursday night loss to Arizona last year.

Pre-game Twitter rundown: Malcolm Brown and Jimmy Neutron, er, Nick Toon, have been called up from the practice squad. Mark Barron and Ethan Westbrooks are active and I assume have passed the Rams' rigorous concussion protocol, which I believe means they can identify the smell of bacon. Michael Brockers, questionable with a thigh injury, also active, and apparently in for a LOT of reps with backups Nick Fairley and Doug Worthington out. Jim Thomas is right - why not activate Louis Trinca-Pasat? The 49ers also have injury issues at DT; after I talked up Quinton Dial in last week's preview, he's out today.

Let's see how the Rams decide to close this season out.

FIRST QUARTER
Ha, today's baseball play-by-play guy even sounds like Bob Uecker. 49ers won the toss and wisely deferred. Benny Cunningham out to the 23 from about 4 deep... and... PENALTY #1, HOLDING, Cameron Lynch. We're off to a scintillating start. Rams at their 13. Rams empty the backfield, Case Keenum unloads quickly to Lance Kendricks on a 8-yard comeback. Tre Mason grinds out 3 and a first down. Fine mauling work by the right side of the line. The next play is a cluster, um, bomb for the ages. Rob Havenstein gets beaten pathetically by Aaron Lynch. Listening to my preview from last week not at all, no one blocks NaVorro Bowman, either. Bowman strips Mason, and luckily, the ball goes flying, giving Havenstein (no, not Tim Barnes) room to run it down and recover. Seven-yard loss. Keenum gets 6 back going to Kendricks in the flat. The 49ers idiotically blitz on 3rd-and-11, but Keenum overthrows Brian Quick by 5 yards with a deep ball, and I have no idea what the heck was going on there. Case Keenum can't overthrow ME by five yards. Quick quit running his route for some reason; I'm not even sure he knew where the ball was. The next Terrell Owens, ladies and gentlemen. The Rams have made some bad draft picks in their two decades here, but Quick, even as a 2nd-rounder, is approaching epic status. I have rarely seen a player so unprepared to play professional football. Not very impressive punt by Johnny Hekker; 43 yards, fair-caught at the SF38.
Oh, and PENALTY #2, FACE MASK, Daren Bates. The Rams have started this game with their heads planted pretty far up their backsides.

So the 49ers start on offense across midfield. Play action, Barron blitzing, Blaine Gabbert overthrows Blake Bell in the flat, blanketed by Lamarcus Joyner. Barron blitzes off right end this time and trips DuJuan Harris in the backfield; we're quickly to 3rd-and-13. Corners are at least 10 yards off the wideouts but Janoris Jenkins holds Torrey Smith to 7 on a quick slant. 123-kick goes out of bounds at the 13. I hope everybody bet the under this week.

The Rams strike deep and quick as Rob Boras pulls out one of our favorite Frank Cignetti calls. Play-action, fake end-around to Tavon Austin, and bombs away to Kenny Britt for 54! A TD if Keenum had enough arm to keep Britt from waiting for the ball. The free safety bit and Britt outran Tramaine Brock. Austin takes a handoff down to the SF20 for another 13 yards. He cut inside Havenstein's block, bounced off Wichmann and Barnes, turned the corner and stiffarmed Gerald Hodges to get out of heavy traffic. The side judge threw a flag on Britt for a block in the back but correctly picked it back up. Keenum buys some time in the pocket on 1st down, but has nothing open, and with Lynch pancaking Havenstein, ends up having to throw away. Let's go, Havenstein. A decent recapper would have told you everything for the Rams has been out of shotgun so far, including this 5-yard inside handoff to Mason with Wichmann pulling. Rams pick up the blitz well enough on 3rd-5, but Keenum overthrows a very open Wes Welker, who ran a drag route out of trips. Archuleta is exactly right; that is a throw Keenum HAS to make. Greg Zuerlein puts the Rams on the board from 33. Yippee. Rams 3, 49ers 0

The Rams are going to quickly have to consider using Hekker on kickoffs after Zuerlein's BRUTAL boot is fielded by Bruce Ellington on the run at the 5 and brought out to the 30. Second straight week special teams are playing like garbage. Finding ways to lose, though, Bruce Miller commits a personal foul after the play to move the 49ers back. The Coleman crew calls this very tight, Miller having started a shoving match with Christian Bryant after the whistle. Hooray for calling the penalty on the instigator, though Miller didn't really deserve a flag there. Not to suggest the fix may be in, but the flag was thrown by somebody in an "SJ39" jersey. 49ers at their 19. Mike Davis I think doubles his yardage for the season with a 13-yard run. Akeem Ayers, Mo Alexander, Chris Long all blocked, and Davis spun out of a woeful Rodney McLeod grab to get the last 5. False start not called as Gabbert hits Vance McDonald for a couple. Alexander took him down immediately. Michael Brockers beats Erik Pears and dumps Davis for a loss. Corners are WAY soft again on 3rd-and-8, but Trumaine Johnson rapidly closes down an attempted bubble screen to Anquan Boldin for a loss. Oh, the offensive fireworks we're going to get today. Austin dances from the 5 to the 10 with the punt return.

Mason fights for a couple off right tackle. Rams not winning a lot up front so far. Keenum underthrows a hitch to Austin and the Rams settle for 7. 3rd-and-1. STUPID call by Boras, a slow-developing handoff to Mason that an UNBLOCKED Bowman blows up. You know you're going to have to block him sometime today, right? The o-line slipping into old patterns of failure by not getting these backside guys blocked. Hekker's punt goes 50 and is fair-caught.

SF at their 30. Bubble screen to Smith for 5. Harris pounds out 5 with a lot of Rams, including William Hayes and James Laurinaitis, failing to get off blocks. Alexander blows up a swing pass to Miller for a loss. Harris up the middle for 5 more; Eugene Sims overran him and there ain't no way Ethan Westbrooks is getting off a double-team in the middle. Gabbert burns a Laurinaitis blitz with a completion over the middle to Quinton Patton, but ludicrous Pro Bowler Joe Staley is properly penalized for being lined up well off the LOS. 3rd-12, a stupid Gregg Williams 3-man rush with Barron blitzing is burned but good by Harris on a 31-yard SCREEN PASS. They set it up well and blocked TruJo, Ayers and Laurinaitis all out of the play, with Joyner giving up an extra 5-6 with pathetic tackling just to make me feel really happy. It's now 2016 - how are the Rams still the one team in the NFL getting fooled by damn screen passes on 3rd-and-long? Idiots! Outstanding penetration by Westbrooks and Barron blows up the next handoff for a loss to end a first quarter about as high-flying on offense as we'd thought it would be.

SECOND QUARTER
Rams football continues to come into my house and crap on my floor and expect me to like it. The corners continue to lay a mile off the line, and Anquan F. Boldin outmuscles Jenkins for a catch at the 15; Jenkins goes down, TD, San Francisco. 49ers 7, Rams 3. No. I am not in a good mood right now.

Wait a minute, did I just see Anquan Boldin get open for a TD by throwing Jenkins to the ground without a penalty? I thought it was just a collision at first, but no, it was as obvious a pushoff as you're ever going to see. No flag, and no, I am not in a good mood right now. Both announcers actually laud Boldin for his ability to get open using his strength, which would be great, provided HE DOES IT LEGALLY.

Chase Reynolds fields a popup kick and brings it to the 30 as the 49er special teams coach is clearly overthinking things. Play fake to Austin, and an actual great grab by The Next Terrell Owens for 11. So he now has 9 more catches this season than The Actual Terrell Owens, who is tied with, among others, me. Bubble screen left to Austin, blocked pretty well by Jared Cook, gets 7. Another quick screen to Austin, this time with Lance Kendricks, Barnes and Greg Robinson leading out, gets 10 more. Rams now at the SF42. Robinson and Garrett Reynolds make Mason a nice hole but he can only get 4 out of it. The 49ers string out a Mason sweep well and Jimmie Ward puts a big shot on Tre. Big credit to Bowman for fighting Havenstein and not giving up the edge. Keenum gets time with another blitz coming on 3rd-4, but Eric Reid arrives at Cook the same time as the ball to force an incomplete. No problem with Cook's play there, but it should still be noted that the 49ers have been taking it to the Rams pretty much from the opening kick. This is turning into another one of those games that shouldn't have happened this season.

Clearly clued in by the Rams during the week, both Fox announcers tell us to expect a fake punt here, and lo and behold, Hekker tosses a pretty 45+ yard ball into the end zone, and Bradley Marquez is open, but, Bruce Ellington does a fine job playing deep safety from his return position and breaks up the pass in the end zone. Still, I'll give credit to the Rams for a creative play, and it wasn't an awful gamble, mainly costing them about 20 yards of field position. What would be nice is to not have to rely on special teams trick plays as an important part of your scoring offense.

Gregg Williams actually blitzes a screen pass successfully as Alexander rushes Gabbert into a throwaway. McCarthy and Archuleta are now reading the pass interference rule on punts both ways, and I have no idea if any PI should have been called on the fake punt or not. The Rams have been interfered with on fake punts in the past but the referee said it was allowable because the Rams were in punt formation. Too bad Fox doesn't have a RULES EXPERT on hand who could help us out with this kind of thing. I think no call was correct. Marquez got bumped at least a couple of times, but he was the end man on the LOS, and that seems to be allowable per my Googling of the rulebook. 2nd-10. Harris gets 7 as Barron and Laurinaitis both blitz and both pick the wrong gap. It gets even worse on 3rd-3. Brockers gets knocked a mile out of the hole by somebody called Andrew Tiller. For some idiotic reason, Laurinaitis is up on the line, and dives and whiffs, and that brilliant play design leaves the middle of the field completely vacated. Harris turns McLeod inside out before Jenkins and McLeod get to him 48 yards later at the 9. This is not the kind of brilliant defensive play-calling we needed this week. DuJuan Freaking Harris has 123 yards all season and you just gave him almost 50. Play some damn defense. McLeod holds Davis to 1 on the edge; good edge set there by Matt Longacre (!). Hayes gets inside Trent Brown and flushes Gabbert into a throwaway with good coverage all around. 3rd-goal. WATCH THE TIGHT ENDS. Bullet dodged, multiples, actually. Joyner was late getting to Bell in the flat; Gabbert's second read was the other TE, McDonald, who slipped trying to lose Alexander. Hey, sometimes I know what I'm talking about. Hayes' Gurleyian hurdle of a cut block helped pressure Gabbert's throw. The Rams still pay for their lack of run defense with a Phil Dawson chip shot. 49ers 10, Rams 3

Touchback starts the Rams at their 20.  4 for Austin on an end-around; Lynch grabbed him in the collar area but did not yank him backward for the penalty. Malcolm Brown (!) shoots right up the middle for 13 for the Rams' best run of the day. Nice lead block by Kendricks. Brown churns for another 4. Wait, The Next Terrell Owens actually has two catches in a game? Keenum hits him on a quick slant for 12 across midfield. Brown left for a couple as Barnes and Wichmann have trouble getting push. Bubble screen to Wes Welker (!), blocked well by Britt and Robinson, picks up 11. Rams at the SF34. Keenum misses Austin with a sideline pass by a mile. 49ers are all over a swing pass to Brown for a loss. This looks more and more like a Frank Cignetti game plan by the second. Ahmad Brooks, though, draws a roughness penalty for giving Barnes a shot to the face mask. And, ha, the refs caught the retaliation that time; Barnes shoved Brooks first. Put the Rams at the 21 now. Backside defenders continue to stream in unblocked as Eli Harold drops Brown for another loss. Archuleta points out Havenstein losing his block of Arik Armstead, and Havenstein has picked this week to have his worst game of the season. Diving sideline catch by Austin at the 15. On 3rd-4, Keenum hangs Quick (TNTO) out to dry inside the 5; Quick gamely goes up for the high pass but gets turned heels over head by Reid. Rams settle for another Zuerlein FG. 49ers 10, Rams 6. Not thrilled to still be losing, but it was important to score there.

Just as it's critical here to shut the 49ers down. Zuerlein gets this kick deep, but Ellington still gets it out to the 28, and make it the 43 after ANOTHER IDIOT PENALTY on Bates. PENALTY #3, SECOND SPECIAL TEAMS PENALTY ON BATES Is Ray-Ray suited up for the 49ers today? Is there a Ray-Ray effect going on here? Get your head out of your butt unless you want to end up like him. Davis gains 4 after slipping Sims in the backfield, then 6 more wide open out of the backfield on a swing pass. 2:00 warning.

And now THIS is how you defend a screen pass. Rush by Hayes and Sims has Gabbert throwing off his back foot. Aaron Donald smells out the screen; I think he thought to knock it down first, then try to catch it. What he ended up doing was making a neat little tip over to Sims for the INT!!! Sims runs off and puts a sublime move on Patton before running into Davis all the way down at the 3!!!! 42-yard return.

So of course, the Rams LOSE yardage on the first handoff, with no one blocking Ward from the backside. Seriously, I thought Cignetti had been fired. Never mind, they pitch right to Mason, who pulls up to throw, but instead deftly runs up inside blocks by Havenstein and Kendricks for a 4-yard TD! Rams 13, 49ers 10 Reid knocked the ball out with a huge hit, but after Mason had broken the plane. One big defensive play, and all is right in the world again.

Zuerlein gets his first touchback. 49ers ball with 1:31 to go. Gabbert throws a wild dumpoff at Harris incomplete. Another dump to Harris gets 14. The Rams aren't going to bother with that area of the field. Then again, Jenkins smothers a quick pass to Boldin for no gain. Gabbert bounces a short pass to Harris, and I suspect the Ram rush is in his head a bit. On 3rd down, pressure by Donald and Brockers on stunts flushes Gabbert and he makes a hilarious total spaz throw that lands at Harris' feet. Halftime's coming at the right time for him; he is totally discombobulated.

Austin fair-catches the punt at the 33; not sure why they bothered since Fisher is certainly kneeling on the ball here anyway. Oh, really? Off double play-action, Keenum throws for Bradley Marquez on a square out across midfield. Unfortunately, it's well behind him and the ball probably drug on the ground while he was trying to come up with it. He also lost it afterward and I suspect didn't complete the process. Besides, why pass when you can hand off to Benny Cunningham? He dekes Bowman in the hole, cuts back behind a Havenstein pull block and into the vastness of space all the way to the SF27! Great block by Wichmann on Armstead at the start of the play as well. 40-yard gain! 15 seconds to go. Keenum overthrows Austin in the end zone; he was blanketed downfield (as usual) anyway. Fisher immediately opts for Zuerlein again, and he makes it from 44. Rams 16, 49ers 10. Nice three points to have in hand right before the half.

HALFTIME ADJUSTMENTS
I don't know why in the bloody hell the Rams aren't stacking the box and pressing the 49er receivers. Gabbert is afraid and doesn't want to throw downfield. The Rams have had little excuse to get gashed by the 49er running game the way they have in the 1st half. Stuff them in the fish bowl like the Rams offense did so much in the Shurmur Era. Defending the 49ers is far easier than Gregg Williams is making it. Stop trying to prove you're a genius and just win a darn game.


What Rob Boras needs to figure out at halftime is how so many 49ers are making plays while not being blocked. This wasn't happening the last three weeks, and I think there's been some unwise over-complicating of the running game going on. Mason's very comfortable with the old "wrap" play; let's get it dusted off. In the passing game, more stacks and bunches; they've been getting receivers wide open out of those. 49ers can't defend them. Use them to get Welker and maybe even Austin going.

THIRD QUARTER
I'm sure the actual game is nearly over as I'm barely ready to start the 2nd half. I'm running out of TiVo rewind space, too, so I'm going to have to gloss over some plays. The Fox announcers were expecting more offense from the #31 and #32 units in the league? I guess guys like them are why Las Vegas makes money.


Easy touchback, #2, for Zuerlein. Donald misses Harris for a big loss, but Alexander gets him on the right edge for 1. Sims engulfs Harris for no gain, helped by Donald rag-dolling Trent Brown around up front. But the brilliant Rams let Vance McDonald get 11 out of a 1-yard dumpoff, running through Alexander. PRESS THE RECEIVERS! Longacre (!) whips ludicrous Pro Bowler Staley and drops Harris for a loss. And TruJo takes a crap all over that by getting beaten by Ellington on a double-move. He even committed illegal contact and couldn't prevent getting beaten for 44. From the Ram 26, Gabbert scrambles away from Donald for another 9. Way to come out of halftime, clowns. Fortunately, the run defense has responded; Ayers slows Harris down for TruJo to drop for no gain. 3rd-1. Harris swings out wide open and makes a catch for a couple. Archuleta says Alexander misplayed that. From the 14, S.F. foolishly tries to block Hayes with TE McDonald; Hayes takes him and Harris down for a loss. Gabbert gets as much time as he's gotten all day but overthrows  a well-open Smith in the corner of the end zone. Phew. 3rd-11, idiot blitz on deck. No, they rush 4 and Barron holds Bell to 4 on an underneath pass. Dawson cuts the lead in half with another chippie. Rams 16, 49ers 13 As soon as the Rams get run defense settled down, the pass defense springs major leaks. Why not play both?

My halftime adjustments are pretty much what I recommended in last week's preview, btw. Some sign the coaching staff actually watches tape would be welcome here in the 2nd half. Rams start from their 20. Short pass to Kendricks off play-action for 5. Nice job by Keenum there; 49ers nearly blew that play up. Mason bounces a run outside for nothing as Lynch continues to dominate Havenstein. I did not expect to lose that matchup as badly as the Rams have lost it today. Keenum stands in against a blitz and hits Britt for a 1st down at the 33. I did not realize that was their FIRST 3rd down conversion. Mason fights for a couple up the middle behind no push. Quick screen to Austin for 7. Keenum sneaks for 3 and another 1st down near midfield. Rams needed a good drive here and are getting one. Keenum dekes an oncoming Lynch to avoid trouble and hits Kendricks on the dreaded TE screen for 10. Mason cuts back for 3. Free play from the SF40 - Keenum goes deep for Britt but leaves the throw a little out of bounds. Put the Rams at the 35 now, 2nd-2. Backward screen to Austin picks up 3. ANOTHER screen to Austin off play-action loses 2. Mason bounces outside for a big gain that will come back because of PENALTY #4, a blatant hold by The Next Terrell Owens. Is Quick arguing with a coach? Um, try not dragging guys down by their jerseys when you block. Next year in the CFL, that is. If you're lucky. Benny gets 11 back with a dumpoff pass. Fox announces Barnes has mysteriously left the game, and Demetrious Rhaney takes all of one play to commit PENALTY #5, a false start. COME ON. 3rd-13, the 49ers stunt on the RT side and both guys beat Havenstein and Wichmann to force Keenum to chuck a pass out of bounds. Greg Zuerlein adds to my everlasting joy by failing wide right from 52. The Rams had the ball about 8:00 there to not score and give the 49ers the ball at the 42. I love Rams football.

Davis bolts for 9 with Long getting flattened and Barron and McLeod whiffing. Hayes fights off an uncalled hold to slow up Davis on a draw but he still drives for the 1st. That was a quick 3rd quarter; each team basically had one possession.

FOURTH QUARTER
Nothing open deep for Gabbert off playaction, so he sidearms to Davis on the sideline for 8. Davis runs through Laurinaitis for a nice gain, but holding on Tiller moves the 49ers back to 2nd-12 at the 50. Smith botches a quick slant for a drop. Supposed Pro Bowl snub TruJo continues to show he deserved said snub with illegal contact vs. Smith that keeps this drive alive. 1st-10 at the 45. Another HILARIOUS spaz throw by Gabbert is incomplete; Brockers flushed him with a lunge. How are the Rams not beating the everlovin snot out of a team with this QB and this offense? Gabbert flings a desperate pass while Donald's burying him; good to Harris for only a couple. Laurinaitis and Barron stop yet ANOTHER dumpoff to Harris. 4th-and-4. Yeah, Greg Tomsula should be going for it here given that last play call on 3rd-long. Donald gets late pressure, and TruJo strips the ball away from Smith to give the Rams the ball on downs! That's more like it!

Now would be a good time to put this one away. Hey, a pass to Cory Harkey, who rumbles for 12 to midfield. End-around left to Austin for 6 behind Harkey's block. Mason cuts inside Reynolds for a couple. 3rd-2. Cook's wide open on a flare route out but can't catch Keenum's poor throw. So much for putting anything away, then. Keenum has made some nice plays today but his inconsistency has been a real problem. Marcus Roberson can't save the punt from going into the end zone; Hekker didn't get a good bounce.

Davis cuts back and spins off Alexander for 4. Seriously, both 49er RBs may be having career days. We finally have a Chris Long sighting and the Rams' FIRST SACK of the day. Gabbert got a lot of time to throw, but upfield push from Longacre (!) kept him trapped in the pocket and Long beat the blocking TE to get him. 3rd-10, the damn secondary is NAPPING AGAIN and Smith gets behind Jenkins out of a stack formation for 27. This is just unforgivably bad coverage today. Note to Jeff Fisher: spending the week in Napa Valley NOT the best way to prepare for future 49er games. Donald and Joyner stuff a Harris draw, but then they give up 20 to him on another simple damn swing pass. Are the Rams the only team in the league that cannot defend this play? He's wide open out of the backfield, TruJo misses him and Brockers whiffs to give up the last 10. Hayes drags Davis down for a couple. 2nd-8 at the Ram 26. Ayers shuts off the edge to kill a sweep for 1. PENALTY NUMBER 6 Gabbert hard-counts Donald offside COME ON! 3rd-2 now. Announcers say that was actually penalty #8. Sorry, not like me to miss those. Oh, you know what? I think those were field-position delays-of-game on the punt team. Never mind. With Hayes overpursuing and Barron and Alexander diving and missing, Harris dances his way to the 18 for a first down. The Rams have failed miserably to get the 49ers off the field in the 2nd half. They have had three sustained possessions. And now, PENALTY #9 for too many men on the field. The Rams are playing the brand of football today I said the 49ers would. Ayers stops a dumpoff to Miller for a couple; 2nd-3 at the 10. Harris gets away from Donald in the backfield; Laurinaitis drags him down just short for 3rd-1. Only 4:44 left as Gabbert and Harris BOTCH a pitchback!! Naturally, Harris falls on it at the 20. PENALTY #10 by Jenkins is a personal foul offset by an Ellington personal foul. Dawson ties the game up at 4:28. 16-16

I'm out of much to say here, hard though that may be to believe. The Rams don't appear to have a clutch play in them on either side of the ball. It's a miserable season teetering to a miserable end unless they pull their heads out pretty quickly.


Cunningham makes the 20 from five deep, but no further. HANDOFF TO AUSTIN LOSES 3 as Havenstein gets blown off the ball by Lynch yet again. The rookie is having a miserable game today. Quick screen to Welker off play-action for 6. 3rd-and-7 is the Ram offense's season in a nutshell. Keenum rolls left and has nothing because Britt and Cook have brilliantly run crossing routes BEHIND THE UMPIRE. THEY COVERED THEMSELVES! Keenum buys a lot of time on the roll, doesn't throw to a now-open Cook, does throw to Britt on the sideline, who slides for the ball and drops it. I hate Rams football. Send in Hekker at 2:54. About a 51-yard punt will start SF at their 26.

Joyner fills the gap and stuffs Harris for no gain. Gabbert fires to Boldin, who's actually been open far less than I expected today, for 9 at the 2:00 warning. 49ers help the Rams out with a false start to create 3rd-6. And oh, you freaking a-holes! Hayes knifes up the middle on a stunt, has Gabbert dead to rights AND BLOWS THE SACK. Gabbert lofts a wobbly lob to, of course, BOLDIN, who has gotten behind TruJo for 27. How about somebody around here finishes a damn play? At the Ram 43 with 1:51 left, Gabbert fires a screen for Boldin incomplete. Obvious Pro Bowler DuJuan Freaking Harris bounces outside for 6 with the whole line getting penned up inside and Alexander whiffing outside. The 49ers' FOURTH sustained drive as the Ram defense continues to refuse to get them off the field. A blitz by Barron coaxes a bad short pass for McDonald, sending in... the punter????? Fox's FG line suggested Dawson would be trying from here. The idiotic punt is in the end zone! What a choke decision by Jim Tomsula; the Rams will have 1:32 to make him pay for it. And better.

Screen to Benny gets 10. Archuleta wants a deep shot to Britt; we get a wild sideline throw in Cook's direction instead. 1:02. Keenum overthrows Marquez on an out route. Seriously? I thought at least the Rams would end regulation with the ball. TO#1, Rams. Keenum has the 49ers burned deep with a heavy blitz coming, but THE WORTHLESS NEXT TERRELL OWENS drops a leaping catch that's right in his worthless hands at the SF40, and the Rams indeed are punting, unable to hold the ball even 40 seconds. Hekker at least gets the roll on the punt this time, a 68-yarder that Christian Bryant kills at the 2. That may have just forced overtime.

I hope Archuleta is foreshadowing by raising the possibility of losing on a safety. No; the 49ers will play for overtime. Fisher calls timeout even though, with only two left, he can't force the 49ers to punt. Well, he does force the 49ers to run three kneeldown plays very close to their goal line, and Gabbert nearly doesn't get out of the end zone on the 3rd one. Holy cats, never mind, roughing on Donald PENALTY #10 anyway. If there had been a safety on that last play, it would have gotten called back for that, genius.

OVERTIME
49ers win the toss for the second time today and will receive. Great kick to the corner by Zuerlein for a touchback. Play-action dumpoff to Harris for 5. Brockers stays down after the play. Credit to him for playing as much as he has today while injured. Harris looks dangerous on another cutback but Donald stops him for 1. Gabbert throws to McDonald out of pistol, fooling the SHIT out of the Rams for 24. Another dink pass that beats a stupid Gregg Williams blitz. Laurinaitis failed to get out in coverage and McDonald hurdled a shitty diving shoulder tackle attempt by Joyner. Gaffert muffs the snap but gets shit lucky and has it bounce to him. It's like the 49ers want to give the game away but the football gods won't let them. Jenkins holds Smith to 4 on a quick screen. With Donald in the process of drilling him, Gabbert throws a goofy ball downfield and well over Boldin's head. I guess that counts as finally getting the 49ers off the field for once. Austin idiotically tries to return the punt and gets hammered by a slobber-knocker hit from Miller.


Rams at their 19; next score wins. Shockingly, Austin is still on the field; Keenum gets all day to throw to him but it's low and Austin can't convert the sliding catch. Mason, though, breaks several tackles to get 11 up the middle off blocks by Reynolds and Havenstein. Mason up the middle for another 3. Dare I guess how close they need to get for Zuerlein? I'd hope for no longer than 45. Benny dives over on 3rd-and-1 to get another 1st down at the 40. Play-action, great pocket and Keenum drills Britt over the middle for 18. Fox suggests that's Zuerlein's range at 60 yards. Bowman then knocks them out of that range by dropping Mason for -2. Keenum hits Benny over the middle for 13 and another 1st. 5 more yards should do it! Mason wriggles down to the 28. I don't know where this drive came from, but it sure came at the right time. Benny loses 3 because Havenstein once again can't budge Aaron Lynch. 3rd-9. IT'S ANOTHER HANDOFF to Benny, who's quickly stuffed, leaving Zuerlein a 48-yard attempt.

WHICH IS BLOCKED. No one should EVER be able to fly in off the edge like Dontae Johnson does here, but end blocker Kendricks ends up having to block two; he gets the inside guy but no piece of Johnson at all. That is not to blame Kendricks for this play. Something else is wrong up front to have him exposed like that on the edge.

How many damn kicks has John Fassel gotten blocked the past couple of years? Could we maybe concentrate on THAT next year instead of living out our punter's quarterbacking fantasies?

I HATE RAMS FOOTBALL.

49ers at their 26. AND HAYES GETS 15 FOR A LATE HIT ON GABBERT. PENALTY #11 Don't lose your damn composure now, with 4:42 left. 49ers already at their 47, though. QUICK SLANT TO SMITH BEATS TRUJO FOR 15. WHY ARE WE SO FAR OFF THE DAMN RECEIVERS? McLeod breaks up a sideline pass for Boldin.

WHAT A BUNCH OF STIFFS. ANOTHER SIMPLE SCREEN PASS TO PATTON BECOMES A 37-YARD GAIN BECAUSE ALEXANDER GETS JUKED BADLY AND MCLEOD WHIFFS ANOTHER TACKLE DOWNFIELD.

Phil Dawson puts a miserable end to a miserable game that ends another miserable year of Rams football. Which I hate.

-$-