The 49ers face the Los Angeles Rams on 1978-10-08 at the visitors' stadium. Steve DeBerg is the starting quarterback. O.J. Simpson is in the running back rotation in his first 49ers year after the Buffalo trade. Freddie Solomon and Paul Hofer are the receivers.
The roster transition under general manager Joe Thomas continues to define the year.[1]
The Sunday matchup against the Los Angeles Rams is the kind of road game where the roster's offensive line has the matchup the coaching staff has been pointing toward all week. The Joe Thomas front-office tenure continues to be defined by the post-Brodie quarterback room.
Steve DeBerg is the listed starter. The Sunday's biggest unknown is the front rotation against the Los Angeles Rams' offensive line. The week of preparation produced the kind of game-plan continuity the staff has been working through.
Around the conference Week 6 continues to shape the 1978 playoff race. The Cowboys, Eagles, and Redskins share the NFC East projection. The Rams remain the NFC West projected leader. The road matchup with the Los Angeles Rams is the calendar's sense-check on the rebuilt 49ers roster's pacing. Around the conference the slate continues to clarify the playoff seeding picture across the closing weeks.
Through 5 games the 49ers are tracking the kind of pace that, in calendar 1978, defines the roster transition under Joe Thomas. Steve DeBerg's passing line is the offensive identity. O.J. Simpson is in the rushing rotation. The Los Angeles Rams are tracking their own divisional standing. Vegas opens the lines accordingly.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 5-0 | W5 |
| Cleveland Browns | 3-2 | L2 |
| Houston Oilers | 3-2 | W1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 0-5 | L5 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 3-2 | W1 |
| New England Patriots | 3-2 | W2 |
| Buffalo Bills | 2-3 | W2 |
| New York Jets | 2-3 | L3 |
| Baltimore Colts | 1-4 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 4-1 | W3 |
| Oakland Raiders | 3-2 | W1 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 2-3 | L1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 1-4 | L4 |
| San Diego Chargers | 1-4 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams | 5-0 | W5 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 2-3 | W1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 2-3 | L1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 1-4 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 4-1 | W2 |
| Chicago Bears | 3-2 | L2 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 3-2 | W2 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2-3 | L1 |
| Detroit Lions | 1-4 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Washington Redskins | 5-0 | W5 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 3-2 | L1 |
| New York Giants | 3-2 | L1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 3-2 | W3 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 0-5 | L5 |
49ers 3, Los Angeles Rams 749ers 3, Los Angeles Rams 1749ers 10, Los Angeles Rams 2449ers 10, Los Angeles Rams 2749ers 10, Los Angeles Rams 27[1]
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 33101010 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 7 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 717242727 |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Rams | John Cappelletti 3 yard pass from Pat Haden ( Frank Corral kick) | 0-7 |
| 49ers | Ray Wersching 25 yard field goal | 3-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Rams | Frank Corral 47 yard field goal | 3-10 |
| Rams | Willie Miller 11 yard pass from Pat Haden ( Frank Corral kick) | 3-17 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Greg Boykin 2 yard rush ( Ray Wersching kick) | 10-17 |
| Rams | Cullen Bryant 10 yard rush ( Frank Corral kick) | 10-24 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Rams | Frank Corral 38 yard field goal | 10-27 |
The 49ers lost 10-27 on the road against the Los Angeles Rams on 1978-10-08. The Rams' defensive front produced six sacks of DeBerg. O.J. Simpson ran for 83 on 20 carries. The 49ers were held to one touchdown and one Ray Wersching field goal across the full sixty minutes. Steve DeBerg threw the kind of passing line the offense has been working through. The defensive unit produced the kind of pressure that defined the afternoon.[1]
San Francisco lost 10-27 against the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams' defensive front produced six sacks of DeBerg. O.J. Simpson ran for 83 on 20 carries. The 49ers were held to one touchdown and one Ray Wersching field goal across the full sixty minutes. The Sunday's outcome maps to the kind of game-script the calendar's transition year has been working through. Steve DeBerg threw the kind of passing line the offense has been producing across the start.
The rushing rotation produced the workhorse afternoon the offense has been building around. The receiver room caught the routes the playbook has been calling. The defensive unit produced the kind of pressure that, in calendar 1978, defines the rebuild's progress. The Sunday's outcome sets the next week's posture.
49ers 10, Los Angeles Rams 27. Margin: minus 17. The Sunday's box score reads in line with the calendar's transition-year pacing. Steve DeBerg's passing line came through. The rushing rotation produced the workhorse line. The defensive unit produced its pressure.
A 10-27 road loss at the Los Angeles Rams. The 49ers' transition-year calendar continues to shape across the kind of game-script the staff has been projecting.
How it unfolded
The Rams' defensive front produced six sacks of DeBerg. O.J. Simpson ran for 83 on 20 carries. The 49ers were held to one touchdown and one Ray Wersching field goal across the full sixty minutes. The Sunday's full-sixty produced the kind of game-flow the staff has been working through across the season's first weeks.
The turning point
The in-game adjustment that, in calendar 1978, decided the closing two quarters. The defensive front's pressure on the third-down dropbacks produced the kind of pass-rush volume the unit has been generating across the year's transition.
By the numbers
Steve DeBerg's passing line came through. The rushing rotation ran the workhorse line. The receiver room caught the route distribution. The defensive unit produced the pressure that, in transition-year play, defines the calendar's pacing.
Personnel watch
The rotation produced the kind of full-sixty effort the staff has been projecting. The Joe Thomas front-office continues to shape the depth chart. The offensive line's pocket time was the kind that, in calendar 1978, defines the transition-year pace.
What it means
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Steve DeBerg #17 | 7/26 | 83 | 0 | 1 | |
| RAM | |||||
| Pat Haden | 12/24 | 161 | 2 | 2 | |
| Vince Ferragamo | 2/4 | 30 | 0 | 0 | |
| Lawrence McCutcheon | 0/1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| O.J. Simpson | 20 | 83 | 0 | 15 |
| Greg Boykin | 12 | 49 | 1 | 21 |
| RAM | ||||
| Lawrence McCutcheon | 13 | 67 | 0 | 11 |
| Cullen Bryant | 7 | 60 | 1 | 26 |
| John Cappelletti | 12 | 47 | 0 | 13 |
| Jerry Latin | 7 | 38 | 0 | 11 |
| Rod Phillips | 2 | 15 | 0 | 11 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Paul Seal | 2 | 58 | 0 | 30 |
| O.J. Simpson | 4 | 30 | 0 | 19 |
| Greg Boykin | 1 | -5 | 0 | -5 |
| RAM | ||||
| Willie Miller | 4 | 79 | 1 | 45 |
| John Cappelletti | 4 | 41 | 1 | 21 |
| Ron Jessie | 1 | 16 | 0 | 16 |
| Lawrence McCutcheon | 2 | 15 | 0 | 14 |
| Preston Dennard | 1 | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| Ron Smith | 1 | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| Cullen Bryant | 1 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
Find or start the canonical thread for this game on r/49ers. The thread title is deterministic so anyone running this Rewatch lands on the same place.
Find the thread Start the threadCanonical title: [Rewatch Party] 1978 W6 - 49ers at Los Angeles Rams - Game Thread
