The 49ers (5-1) travel to Trans World Dome for a 1:00 ET kickoff against the St. Louis Rams (1-5). Tony Banks is the Rams' starter in relief of the injured Trent Green. Lawrence Phillips and Robert Holcombe share the backfield. Ricky Proehl and Az-Zahir Hakim are the receivers; Isaac Bruce is on the injury report.
The 49ers come off the 34-31 home win over the Colts. Steve Young is the starter; Garrison Hearst is the lead back.[1]
The Rams are 1-5 and have lost five straight. Tony Banks is the starter for the third straight week. The Rams' offense has scored 14 or fewer in four of six. Dick Vermeil's second year has not produced the kind of turnaround the offseason cap moves were supposed to anchor. The 49ers' Sunday at Trans World Dome is the schedule's projected easiest road game outside of New Orleans. Phillips is the back Mariucci once cut from the 49ers; the Rams signed him in May.
Week 8 has the league's longest losing streak hosting the conference's projected one-seed plus a slate where the playoff field is taking shape. The Broncos sit at 7-0; the Vikings 6-1; the Falcons 5-2. The AFC East has the Dolphins at 5-2 and the Bills 4-3. Around the league the storyline is the Broncos' undefeated start and the Vikings' offense with Randall Cunningham.
Through six games the 49ers sit at 5-1 with a plus 81 point differential, the conference's best. Young is on pace for 5,000 passing yards. Hearst is on pace for 1,500 rushing. Bryant Young has 8 sacks. The Rams are 1-5 with Banks averaging 200 passing yards per game and 0.5 touchdowns per game. Phillips averages 3.8 a carry. Vegas opens the 49ers as 8-point road favorites. Stat worth watching today: Hearst against Phillips, the two backs Mariucci has on opposite sidelines this week.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 5-1 | L1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 4-2 | W1 |
| Tennessee Oilers | 3-3 | W2 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 2-4 | L2 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 2-4 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 4-2 | W1 |
| New England Patriots | 4-2 | L1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 3-3 | W3 |
| New York Jets | 3-3 | W1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 1-6 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 6-0 | W6 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 4-2 | L1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 4-2 | W3 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 3-3 | L3 |
| San Diego Chargers | 3-4 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Falcons | 5-1 | W3 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 5-1 | W2 |
| New Orleans Saints | 3-3 | L3 |
| St. Louis Rams | 2-4 | L1 |
| Carolina Panthers | 0-6 | L6 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Vikings | 6-0 | W6 |
| Green Bay Packers | 4-2 | L2 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 3-3 | W2 |
| Detroit Lions | 2-4 | W1 |
| Chicago Bears | 2-5 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 4-3 | L1 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 3-4 | -- |
| New York Giants | 3-4 | W1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 1-6 | L1 |
| Washington Redskins | 0-7 | L7 |
49ers 14, St. Louis Rams 049ers 14, St. Louis Rams 349ers 21, St. Louis Rams 349ers 28, St. Louis Rams 1049ers 28, St. Louis Rams 10[1]
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 14 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 1414212828 |
| St. Louis Rams | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0331010 |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Jerry Rice 12 yard pass from Steve Young ( Wade Richey kick) | 7-0 |
| 49ers | Irv Smith 2 yard pass from Steve Young ( Wade Richey kick) | 14-0 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Rams | Jeff Wilkins 46 yard field goal | 14-3 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Terrell Owens 27 yard pass from Steve Young ( Wade Richey kick) | 21-3 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Rams | Tony Banks 6 yard rush ( Jeff Wilkins kick) | 21-10 |
| 49ers | Terrell Owens 21 yard rush ( Wade Richey kick) | 28-10 |
Steve Young threw for 227 yards and three touchdowns, Terrell Owens caught a 21-yard touchdown and the 49ers beat the St. Louis Rams 28-10 at Trans World Dome. Jerry Rice caught a touchdown reception. Tony Banks went 15 of 35 for 121 yards with no touchdowns; Lawrence Phillips ran for 15 yards on 5 carries against his former team. The 49ers held the Rams to 184 total yards.[1]
Steve Young threw three touchdown passes at Trans World Dome and the 49ers won 28-10. Lawrence Phillips, in his first game against the franchise that cut him, ran for fifteen yards on five carries. The Rams' offense produced 184 total yards across the full sixty minutes.
The Sunday was the cleanest road afternoon of the year. The defensive front produced four sacks of Banks. The secondary held Hakim under 60 receiving and forced two interceptions. Young's three touchdowns came on 13-of-24 passing; the efficiency line is the kind that, in calendar 1998, beat reporters cite when projecting the franchise's NFC West cushion.
The 49ers walk back to the airport 6-1 with the road trip to Green Bay on Sunday next. The Rams' Sunday is the kind of road blowout the schedule offers a contender exactly once a year. The wire copy is going to spend the column on the Packers matchup; the film room is going to spend the week on the four-sack afternoon and Young's red-zone efficiency.
49ers 28, Rams 10. Margin: plus 18. Record: 6-1, plus 99 differential.
A 28-10 road win at Trans World Dome. The 49ers improve to 6-1 with the second sub-200-yard defensive afternoon in three games.
How it unfolded
Young opened with a touchdown drive ending in a Rice 16-yard touchdown. A Rams field goal cut it to 7-3. Owens caught the 21-yard touchdown to make it 14-3 in the second quarter. Young added a Marc Edwards touchdown to push the lead to 21-3 at the half. The third quarter saw a Banks touchdown rush cut it to 21-10. Young found Stokes for the closing touchdown in the fourth quarter to make the final 28-10.
The turning point
The second-quarter Owens touchdown. With the 49ers up 7-3 and the offense facing third-and-six at the Rams' 21, Young found Owens on a corner route over the strong-side corner. The 14-3 cushion became 21-3 within the next eight minutes of game clock.
By the numbers
Young 13-of-24 for 227 with three touchdowns and two picks; the lowest completion-attempt count of the year. Owens 5 catches for 120 with a score. Rice 4 catches for 64 and a touchdown. Hearst 58 rushing on 20 carries; the running game produced 105 yards. Defensively the front produced four sacks of Banks (Bryant Young 1.5, Junior Bryant 1, Chike Okeafor 1.5); the secondary forced two interceptions and held the Rams' offense to 184 total yards.
Personnel watch
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Steve Young #8 | 13/24 | 227 | 3 | 2 | |
| STL | |||||
| Tony Banks | 15/35 | 121 | 0 | 3 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Garrison Hearst | 20 | 58 | 0 | 10 |
| Terrell Owens | 1 | 21 | 1 | 21 |
| Marc Edwards | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Steve Young #8 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 7 |
| Chuck Levy | 3 | 2 | 0 | 7 |
| STL | ||||
| Tony Banks | 6 | 21 | 1 | 11 |
| Amp Lee | 4 | 19 | 0 | 13 |
| Robert Holcombe | 12 | 18 | 0 | 8 |
| Jerald Moore | 1 | 18 | 0 | 18 |
| Derrick Harris | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Terrell Owens | 5 | 120 | 1 | 48 |
| Jerry Rice #80 | 4 | 64 | 1 | 27 |
| Iheanyi Uwaezuoke | 1 | 35 | 0 | 35 |
| Garrison Hearst | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Marc Edwards | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Irv Smith | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| STL | ||||
| Ricky Proehl | 6 | 69 | 0 | 21 |
| J.T. Thomas | 3 | 18 | 0 | 6 |
| Ernie Conwell | 3 | 17 | 0 | 8 |
| June Henley | 2 | 9 | 0 | 7 |
| Robert Holcombe | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
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Find the thread Start the threadCanonical title: [Rewatch Party] 1998 W8 - 49ers at St. Louis Rams - Game Thread
