The St. Louis Rams have struggled to stop Troy Smith all game—he’s 12-for-22 with 269 yards—but an offensive holding penalty on what would have been a game-tying touchdown kept the San Francisco 49ers from tying the game 17-17 in the fourth quarter.
The 19-yard touchdown pass to Michael Crabtree came after Smith put together two passes to Delanie Walker for 45 yards, bringing the 49ers deep into Rams territory. But the holding penalty pushed the 49ers well out of the red zone, and they had to settle for a field goal, leaving the score 17-13.
Sam Bradford and the Rams will look to push their lead to two scores with nine minutes left in the game. Bradford is 21-for-30 with 173 yards passing and a touchdown. Running back Steven Jackson, who emerged as the offensive star of the third quarter, has 17 carries for 77 yards and a touchdown.
The Seattle Seahawks have pulled away from the Arizona Cardinals in other NFC West action, leading 29-10.