The 49ers (1-0) travel to the Edward Jones Dome for a 5:15 PT kickoff against the St. Louis Rams (0-1) on Sunday Night Football.
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; Darrell Jackson at receiver.
Sunday Night Football in St. Louis for the 49ers' first primetime appearance of the year. Marc Bulger and the Rams come in 0-1 after losing the opener to Carolina. Steven Jackson and the rushing attack will test the 49ers' Patrick Willis-led front.
Alex Smith stays the starter. Frank Gore the lead back. Darrell Jackson against his former teammates from Seattle. The kind of primetime division road game where 2-0 on the road would establish the year's identity early.
Favored by St. Louis by 3 at home. A 49ers win, against an NFC West rival, would put them alone at the top of the division.
Week 2 Sunday Night Football across the NFC, the early-season sort begins. The Bears, Saints, Eagles, Cowboys, and Seahawks lead the conference contender talk. Inside the NFC West, the Seahawks lead with a Week 1 win; the 49ers, Rams, and Cardinals split. Around the AFC the Patriots, Steelers, Colts, and Chargers dominate. The Sunday-night game is the kind of week where a 49ers road win, in primetime, would put the team into the early playoff conversation.
Through one game the 49ers are 1-0 with a +3 point differential. Alex Smith averaged 4.1 yards per attempt in the opener. Frank Gore averaged 3.1 yards per carry. Patrick Willis led the team in tackles in his debut. The defense produced three takeaways. The Rams are 0-1 with Marc Bulger averaging 285 passing yards in the opener. Steven Jackson averaged 4.5 yards per carry. Torry Holt led the team in receiving. Vegas opens St. Louis as 3-point home favorites; total 42.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots | 1-0 | W1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 0-1 | L1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 0-1 | L1 |
| New York Jets | 0-1 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals | 1-0 | W1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 1-0 | W1 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 0-1 | L1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 0-1 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Houston Texans | 1-0 | W1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 1-0 | W1 |
| Tennessee Titans | 1-0 | W1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 0-1 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 1-0 | W1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 1-0 | W1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 0-1 | L1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 0-1 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle Seahawks | 1-0 | W1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 1-0 | W1 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 0-1 | -- |
| St. Louis Rams | 0-1 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 1-0 | W1 |
| Washington Redskins | 1-0 | W1 |
| New York Giants | 0-1 | L1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 0-1 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Detroit Lions | 1-0 | W1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 1-0 | W1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 1-0 | W1 |
| Chicago Bears | 0-1 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Carolina Panthers | 1-0 | W1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 0-1 | L1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 0-1 | L1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 0-1 | L1 |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Rams | Torry Holt 12 yard pass from Marc Bulger ( Jeff Wilkins kick) | 0-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Frank Gore 1 yard rush ( Joe Nedney kick) | 7-7 |
| Rams | Jeff Wilkins 27 yard field goal | 7-10 |
| Rams | Jeff Wilkins 29 yard field goal | 7-13 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Frank Gore 43 yard rush ( Joe Nedney kick) | 14-13 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Rams | Jeff Wilkins 53 yard field goal | 14-16 |
| 49ers | Joe Nedney 40 yard field goal | 17-16 |
Frank Gore ran for two touchdowns and the 49ers beat the St. Louis Rams 17-16 at the Edward Jones Dome on Sunday Night Football. Gore ran for 81 yards on 20 carries. Alex Smith threw for 126 yards with no interceptions. Marc Bulger threw for 368 yards. Steven Jackson ran for 60. The 49ers' defense produced multiple sacks. Joe Nedney made the kicks. The 49ers improved to 2-0 with the primetime win.[1][2][3]
Frank Gore ran for two touchdowns Sunday night in St. Louis. The 49ers' lead back, in his second straight strong week, produced the kind of grind-it-out primetime performance the new offense was designed for. The 49ers beat the St. Louis Rams 17-16 on Sunday Night Football.
Alex Smith threw for 126 efficiently. Marc Bulger threw for 368 yards but the Rams could not finish drives. Steven Jackson was held to 60 rushing. Patrick Willis was everywhere. The defense generated multiple sacks of Bulger.
2-0. The kind of primetime road win where the 49ers, alone at the top of the NFC West after the Seahawks lost, get to walk into Pittsburgh next Sunday as a real NFC West contender. The kind of Sunday-night game where the year's identity, with the new OC and the rookie linebacker, has already started to look like a real team.
49ers 17, Rams 16. Margin: +1. Two-game record: 2-0, +4 differential.
* Alex Smith: 11-of-17 for 126, 0 TD, 0 INTs.
* Frank Gore: 20 carries for 81, 2 TDs.
* Darrell Jackson: 3 catches for 61.
* Marc Bulger: 24-of-41 for 368, 1 TD, 0 INTs.
* Steven Jackson: 21 carries for 60.
* Patrick Willis: team-leading tackles.
* 49ers D: multiple sacks of Bulger.
* 49ers 2-0; Rams 0-2.
A 17-16 Sunday Night Football division road win at the Edward Jones Dome. The 49ers improve to 2-0 and take the early NFC West lead.
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 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 quarter was a Frank Gore second touchdown to make it 17-10. The third and fourth quarters were a defensive stalemate punctuated by two Rams field goals to make it 17-16. The Rams' final possession ended at midfield.
The turning point
Frank Gore's second-quarter touchdown that gave the 49ers a 17-10 lead. With Bulger throwing for big yardage but unable to convert, Gore's score was the kind of red-zone capitalization the new Jim Hostler offense was designed to produce in primetime.
By the numbers
Smith 126 passing on 17 attempts with no INTs. Gore 81 rushing on 20 carries with two TDs. Darrell Jackson 61 receiving on 3 catches. Bulger 368 on 41 attempts with a TD. Steven Jackson 60 rushing. Torry Holt 119 receiving on 11 catches.
Personnel watch
Frank Gore's first multi-TD game of the year. Alex Smith's clean primetime game. Patrick Willis with another double-digit-tackle performance. Darrell Jackson against his former teammates. The defense, despite surrendering 368 to Bulger, generated the kind of stops in the red zone the year's identity is built around.
What it means
2-0 with the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road next Sunday. The kind of primetime road win that establishes the 49ers as a real NFC West contender. The Bay Area football crowd has the kind of football team to talk about that the franchise has not produced in years. Mike Nolan's third year, two weeks in, is the kind of start the playoff talk requires.
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Alex Smith | 11/17 | 126 | 0 | 0 | |
| STL | |||||
| Marc Bulger | 24/41 | 368 | 1 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Frank Gore | 20 | 81 | 2 | 43 |
| Maurice Hicks | 2 | 10 | 0 | 7 |
| Moran Norris | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| Michael Robinson | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Alex Smith | 2 | -1 | 0 | 0 |
| Taylor Jacobs | 1 | -8 | 0 | -8 |
| STL | ||||
| Steven Jackson | 21 | 60 | 0 | 9 |
| Travis Minor | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Isaac Bruce | 1 | -3 | 0 | -3 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Darrell Jackson | 3 | 61 | 0 | 34 |
| Vernon Davis | 2 | 23 | 0 | 19 |
| Maurice Hicks | 2 | 21 | 0 | 11 |
| Arnaz Battle | 2 | 17 | 0 | 9 |
| Frank Gore | 2 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| STL | ||||
| Isaac Bruce | 8 | 145 | 0 | 37 |
| Torry Holt | 5 | 74 | 1 | 20 |
| Drew Bennett | 3 | 42 | 0 | 19 |
| Randy McMichael | 2 | 40 | 0 | 26 |
| Steven Jackson | 3 | 36 | 0 | 20 |
| Brian Leonard | 2 | 23 | 0 | 16 |
| Aaron Walker | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
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] 2007 W2 - 49ers at St. Louis Rams - Game Thread
