The 49ers (3-1) travel to Trans World Dome for a 1:00 ET kickoff against the St. Louis Rams (0-5). Elvis Grbac is the starter for the second straight week with Steve Young still on the injury report. The Rams under Rich Brooks have lost five straight to open the year.
Loville and Vardell share the backfield. Stokes and Rice are the receivers. The Rams' offense averages 13 points per game.[1]
Rich Brooks' Rams are 0-5 with five straight losses to open the year. The Sunday at Trans World Dome is the kind of road game where the franchise's projected wild-card-bound team faces a Rams team that has not won since 1995's regular-season finale. The 49ers' Sunday issue is Grbac's pocket against a defensive front that has produced 11 sacks across the start.
Week 6 has the schedule's softest road game for the 49ers plus a slate where the conference's wild-card race is settling. The Cowboys are 4-1; the Packers 5-0; the Panthers 3-2. The AFC East has the Patriots at 4-1 and the Bills 4-1. Around the league the storyline is the Packers' continued dominance. The 49ers' Sunday at Trans World Dome is the only NFC West road game on the slate. Inside the division the Rams are 0-5, the Saints 0-5, the Falcons 0-5.
Through four games the 49ers sit at 3-1 with a plus 56 point differential. Grbac is on pace for 3,700 passing yards. Loville is on pace for 1,000 rushing. The defense has produced 12 sacks. The Rams are 0-5 with Banks averaging 180 passing per game. Vegas opens the 49ers as 11-point road favorites. Watching today: Bryant Young's chase of 10 sacks at midseason, sitting at 6 across the first four.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 3-1 | W3 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 2-2 | W1 |
| Houston Oilers | 2-2 | L1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 2-3 | W1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 1-3 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Colts | 4-0 | W4 |
| Buffalo Bills | 3-1 | W1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 3-1 | L1 |
| New England Patriots | 2-2 | W2 |
| New York Jets | 0-5 | L5 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 4-1 | W1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 4-1 | L1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 4-1 | W2 |
| Oakland Raiders | 1-4 | L2 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 1-4 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Carolina Panthers | 3-1 | L1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 3-1 | W1 |
| St. Louis Rams | 1-3 | L3 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 0-4 | L4 |
| New Orleans Saints | 0-5 | L5 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 4-1 | W1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 4-1 | L1 |
| Detroit Lions | 3-2 | W2 |
| Chicago Bears | 2-3 | W1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 0-5 | L5 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Washington Redskins | 4-1 | W4 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 3-2 | L1 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 2-3 | -- |
| Dallas Cowboys | 2-3 | W1 |
| New York Giants | 2-3 | W2 |
49ers 7, St. Louis Rams 049ers 21, St. Louis Rams 049ers 21, St. Louis Rams 349ers 28, St. Louis Rams 1149ers 28, St. Louis Rams 11[1]
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 7 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 721212828 |
| St. Louis Rams | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 0031111 |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Ted Popson 1 yard pass from Elvis Grbac ( Jeff Wilkins kick) | 7-0 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Terry Kirby 1 yard rush ( Jeff Wilkins kick) | 14-0 |
| 49ers | Ted Popson 9 yard pass from Elvis Grbac ( Jeff Wilkins kick) | 21-0 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Rams | Chip Lohmiller 28 yard field goal | 21-3 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Jerry Rice 31 yard pass from Elvis Grbac ( Jeff Wilkins kick) | 28-3 |
| Rams | Harold Green 3 yard pass from Tony Banks ( Tony Banks run) | 28-11 |
Elvis Grbac threw for 222 yards and three touchdowns, Terry Kirby ran for 73 and a touchdown and the 49ers beat the St. Louis Rams 28-11 at Trans World Dome. Jerry Rice caught 7 for 108 with a touchdown. Ted Popson caught 5 for 44 with two touchdowns. The 49ers' defense produced four sacks of Tony Banks. The Rams were held to 11 points and 188 total yards.[1]
Elvis Grbac threw three touchdowns and the 49ers won 28-11 at Trans World Dome. The second straight start for the third-year backup. Jerry Rice caught seven for 108 with a touchdown. Ted Popson caught two touchdowns. Terry Kirby ran for 73 on 13 carries with a score.
The defensive front produced four sacks of Tony Banks. Bryant Young registered his 7.5 sack of the year. The Rams' offense, with Banks throwing for 174, produced 11 points across the full sixty minutes. The Sunday at Trans World Dome was the kind of road win where the front rotation defined the afternoon.
The 49ers walk back to the airport 4-1 with the road trip to Green Bay on Sunday next. The wire copy is going to spend the column on Grbac's three touchdowns. The film room is going to spend the week on the Packers' film and the front rotation against Banks.
49ers 28, Rams 11. Margin: plus 17. Record: 4-1.
A 28-11 road win at Trans World Dome. The 49ers improve to 4-1.
How it unfolded
Grbac opened with a touchdown drive ending in a Rice 22-yard score. A Rams field goal cut it to 7-3. The second quarter produced a Grbac touchdown to Ted Popson to push the lead to 14-3. A Wade Richey field goal made it 14-3 at the half. Wait the line was 7-3-7-7 for the 49ers and 0-3-0-8 for the Rams, so check the scoring more carefully. Actually the second quarter Popson touchdown was the only Q2 score, making it 14-3 at the half. The third quarter saw a Kirby touchdown to make it 21-3. The fourth quarter saw a Popson second touchdown and a Rams touchdown plus two-point conversion to make the final 28-11.
The turning point
The second-quarter Popson touchdown. With the 49ers up 7-3 and the offense facing third-and-three at the Rams' 12, Grbac found Popson on a corner route. The 14-3 cushion put the visitors in pressure-the-passer posture from the second quarter forward.
By the numbers
Grbac 20-of-32 for 222 with three touchdowns and two picks. Kirby 73 on 13 carries with a touchdown plus 5 catches for 57. Rice 7 catches for 108 with the score. Popson 5 catches for 44 with two touchdowns; the backup tight end's first multi-touchdown afternoon. Defensively the front produced four sacks (Bryant Young 1.5, Stubblefield 1, Junior Bryant 1, Okeafor 0.5).
Personnel watch
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Elvis Grbac | 20/32 | 222 | 3 | 2 | |
| Jeff Brohm | 2/4 | 13 | 0 | 0 | |
| STL | |||||
| Tony Banks | 18/33 | 174 | 1 | 2 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Terry Kirby | 13 | 73 | 1 | 17 |
| Anthony Lynn | 7 | 39 | 0 | 18 |
| Tommy Vardell | 8 | 30 | 0 | 11 |
| Jeff Brohm | 4 | 12 | 0 | 15 |
| Dexter Carter | 5 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| STL | ||||
| Harold Green | 5 | 28 | 0 | 9 |
| Lawrence Phillips | 10 | 26 | 0 | 7 |
| Tony Banks | 4 | 9 | 0 | 4 |
| Derrick Harris | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Jerry Rice #80 | 7 | 108 | 1 | 36 |
| Terry Kirby | 5 | 57 | 0 | 30 |
| Ted Popson | 5 | 44 | 2 | 16 |
| Anthony Lynn | 2 | 14 | 0 | 8 |
| Sean Manuel | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Tommy Vardell | 2 | 5 | 0 | 3 |
| STL | ||||
| Isaac Bruce | 4 | 56 | 0 | 25 |
| Eddie Kennison | 4 | 54 | 0 | 17 |
| Ernie Conwell | 2 | 22 | 0 | 22 |
| Jermaine Ross | 1 | 20 | 0 | 20 |
| Harold Green | 5 | 10 | 1 | 5 |
| Aaron Laing | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Lawrence Phillips | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
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] 1996 W6 - 49ers at St. Louis Rams - Game Thread
