The 49ers (5-5) travel to the Edward Jones Dome for a 10:00 PT kickoff against the St. Louis Rams (4-6) in the NFC West rematch.
Marc Bulger starts at quarterback for the Rams. Steven Jackson runs the ball. Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce lead the receivers. Alex Smith starts for the 49ers; Frank Gore at running back; Antonio Bryant at receiver. Vernon Davis the tight end.
The 49ers (5-5), off Frank Gore's career-best 212-yard rushing game against Seattle, travel to St. Louis Sunday morning for the NFC West road rematch. The kind of division road game where, with three straight wins, the 49ers' identity tape is producing the kind of football the new staff was hired for.
Alex Smith stays the starter. Frank Gore the lead back. Antonio Bryant the WR1. The Rams come in 4-6 with Marc Bulger at quarterback and Steven Jackson as the lead back.
Favored by St. Louis by 3 at home. The kind of division road game where 6-5 would put the 49ers in real playoff contention.
Week 12 across the NFC sees the playoff field tightening. The Bears (9-1), Saints (8-2), Cowboys, Eagles, Falcons, and Giants compete for division titles and wild-card spots. The 49ers (5-5) trail the Seahawks (6-4) and Rams (4-6) in the NFC West. Around the AFC the Colts (10-0), Patriots, Bengals, and Chargers dominate. The Sunday road game is the kind of week where a 49ers division road win would put them at 6-5 and squarely in the NFC West conversation.
Through ten games the 49ers are 5-5 with a -83 point differential. Alex Smith averages 6.9 yards per attempt with 10 TDs and seven INTs. Frank Gore averages 104 rushing yards a game with four TDs (212 last week). Antonio Bryant averages 53 receiving yards a game. The defense allows 24.8 points per game. The Rams are 4-6 with Marc Bulger averaging 220 passing yards a game and 8 TDs/8 INTs. Steven Jackson averages 95 rushing yards a game. Vegas opens St. Louis as 3-point home favorites; total 43.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots | 7-3 | W1 |
| New York Jets | 5-5 | L1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 4-6 | W1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 4-6 | W3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Ravens | 8-2 | W4 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 5-5 | W1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 4-6 | W2 |
| Cleveland Browns | 3-7 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Colts | 9-1 | L1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 6-4 | W1 |
| Houston Texans | 3-7 | L1 |
| Tennessee Titans | 3-7 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego Chargers | 8-2 | W4 |
| Denver Broncos | 7-3 | L1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 6-4 | W1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 2-8 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle Seahawks | 6-4 | L1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 5-5 | W3 |
| St. Louis Rams | 4-6 | L5 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 2-8 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 6-4 | W2 |
| New York Giants | 6-4 | L2 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 5-5 | L1 |
| Washington Redskins | 3-7 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 9-1 | W2 |
| Green Bay Packers | 4-6 | L1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 4-6 | L4 |
| Detroit Lions | 2-8 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Carolina Panthers | 6-4 | W2 |
| New Orleans Saints | 6-4 | L2 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 5-5 | L3 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 3-7 | W1 |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| No scoring this quarter. | ||
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Rams | Jeff Wilkins 24 yard field goal | 0-3 |
| Rams | Steven Jackson 36 yard rush ( Jeff Wilkins kick) | 0-10 |
| 49ers | Frank Gore 12 yard rush ( Joe Nedney kick) | 7-10 |
| Rams | Jeff Wilkins 51 yard field goal | 7-13 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Eric Johnson 1 yard pass from Alex Smith ( Joe Nedney kick) | 14-13 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Joe Nedney 24 yard field goal | 17-13 |
| Rams | Kevin Curtis 5 yard pass from Marc Bulger ( Jeff Wilkins kick) | 17-20 |
Marc Bulger threw a touchdown pass and the St. Louis Rams beat the 49ers 20-17 at the Edward Jones Dome. Frank Gore ran for 134 yards and a touchdown. Alex Smith threw a touchdown to Antonio Bryant but added two interceptions. Steven Jackson ran for 121 and a touchdown. Marc Bulger finished 23-of-34 for 201. The 49ers fell to 5-6 with the late road loss.[1][2][3]
Marc Bulger threw a touchdown pass and Steven Jackson ran for 121 yards and a touchdown Sunday morning at the Edward Jones Dome. The St. Louis Rams beat the 49ers 20-17 in the kind of division road loss where, despite Frank Gore's 134 rushing yards (his sixth 100-yard game of the year), the kind of late-game discipline the 49ers' identity tape has been building did not quite finish the road game.
Alex Smith threw a touchdown to Antonio Bryant but added two interceptions. Bryant caught two for 53. Vernon Davis caught two for 27. The defense surrendered 20 to a Rams offense that had been the year's most middling production.
5-6. The kind of division road loss that, after three straight wins, took back the kind of momentum the year's identity tape had built. The New Orleans Saints come to Candlestick next Sunday in another cross-conference home game. The kind of December where the 49ers' competitive identity, with the playoff path getting tighter, still has a credible argument.
Rams 20, 49ers 17. Margin: -3. Eleven-game record: 5-6, -86 differential.
* Marc Bulger: 23-of-34 for 201, 1 TD, 1 INT.
* Steven Jackson: 23 carries for 121, 1 TD.
* Alex Smith: 13-of-25 for 148, 1 TD (Bryant), 2 INTs.
* Frank Gore: 21 carries for 134, 1 TD.
* Antonio Bryant: 2 catches for 53, 1 TD.
* 49ers 5-6; Rams 5-6.
A 20-17 division road loss at the Edward Jones Dome. The 49ers fall to 5-6.
How it unfolded
The Rams scored on their opening drive with a Bulger touchdown to make it 7-0. The 49ers answered with a Frank Gore short touchdown to tie at 7-7. The Rams added a field goal to make it 10-7. The 49ers added a Joe Nedney field goal to tie at 10-10. The second half was a Steven Jackson touchdown to put the Rams up 17-10. Alex Smith threw a touchdown to Antonio Bryant to tie at 17-17. The Rams added a Jeff Wilkins field goal in the final minute to win it 20-17.
The turning point
Jeff Wilkins's late field goal. With the game tied 17-17 and the 49ers' offense having just tied it on the Bryant touchdown, the Rams' answering drive produced the field-goal win the year's identity tape could not respond to.
By the numbers
Smith 148 passing on 25 attempts with a TD and two INTs. Gore 134 rushing on 21 carries with a TD. Bryant 53 receiving on 2 catches with the TD. Vernon Davis 27 receiving on 2 catches. Bulger 201 on 34 attempts with a TD. Steven Jackson 121 rushing with a TD.
Personnel watch
Frank Gore's sixth 100-yard rushing game (on team-record pace at 1,116 through 11 games). Alex Smith's two-INT day. Antonio Bryant's touchdown reception. The defense surrendering the late field goal. The kind of road loss where the offense produced 17 but the late-game discipline did not finish.
What it means
5-6 with the Saints at home next Sunday. The kind of division road loss that ends the three-game win streak. The year's competitive arc remains alive but the loss to the Rams hurts in the NFC West tiebreaker. Frank Gore's team-record rushing pace continues.
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Alex Smith | 13/25 | 148 | 1 | 2 | |
| STL | |||||
| Marc Bulger | 23/34 | 201 | 1 | 1 | |
| Gus Frerotte | 1/3 | 27 | 0 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Frank Gore | 21 | 134 | 1 | 18 |
| Maurice Hicks | 7 | 32 | 0 | 9 |
| Michael Robinson | 2 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Bryan Gilmore | 1 | -1 | 0 | -1 |
| STL | ||||
| Steven Jackson | 23 | 121 | 1 | 36 |
| Stephen Davis | 5 | 25 | 0 | 9 |
| Marc Bulger | 1 | -6 | 0 | -6 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Antonio Bryant | 2 | 53 | 0 | 28 |
| Arnaz Battle | 3 | 36 | 0 | 18 |
| Frank Gore | 4 | 31 | 0 | 16 |
| Eric Johnson | 3 | 17 | 1 | 11 |
| Vernon Davis | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| STL | ||||
| Steven Jackson | 9 | 71 | 0 | 14 |
| Isaac Bruce | 6 | 63 | 0 | 20 |
| Kevin Curtis | 3 | 41 | 1 | 27 |
| Torry Holt | 4 | 30 | 0 | 11 |
| Joe Klopfenstein | 1 | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| Stephen Davis | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
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Find the thread Start the threadCanonical title: [Rewatch Party] 2006 W12 - 49ers at St. Louis Rams - Game Thread
