Sam Bradford’s fourth quarter heroics tied the game, but a crushing pass intereference call on third down in overtime brought the San Francisco 49ers into field goal range. Forced to punt on their drive, the Rams watched as the 49ers pulled the game out in overtime, 23-20.
Bradford’s game might have been his best of the season, even in the loss. He was 30-for-42 for 252 yards and a touchdown, including his 7-for-9 last-second drive in the fourth quarter. Brandon Gibson and Steven Jackson—who also picked up 81 yards and a touchdown on the ground—each had eight receptions, and Danny Amendola, who caught the touchdown, took seven himself. Laurent Robinson emerged as an option in the fourth quarter.
Once more the Rams’ offense found itself unable to put away a team that seemed to be reeling; Donnie Jones was forced to punt 10 times, and eventually the defense couldn’t hold the 49ers any longer.
The 49ers’ success came from an unlikely source—backup quarterback Troy Smith was 17-for-28 with 356 yards passing and a touchdown, victimizing the Rams defense for a number of big plays. Frank Gore carried the ball 22 times for 87 more yards.
The Rams, now 4-5, fall to second place in the NFC West following the Seattle Seahawks’ 36-18 victory over the Arizona Cardinals, who fall into a third-place tie with the 49ers at 3-6. The NFC West remains anybody’s game, but the Rams found themselves just short again in a division that only requires that extra push.