The 49ers (2-7) host the St. Louis Rams (2-7) at Candlestick Park for a 1:15 PT kickoff in the NFC West rematch.
Marc Bulger is expected to start at quarterback for the Rams. Antonio Pittman runs the ball with Steven Jackson on the injury report. Donnie Avery the WR1 rookie. Shaun Hill starts for the 49ers; Frank Gore at running back; Isaac Bruce the WR1. Vernon Davis at tight end.
Two 2-7 NFC West teams meet at Candlestick Sunday afternoon. The 49ers host the St. Louis Rams in the kind of division home game where two teams playing for nothing on the standings have everything to play for on the year's identity tape.
Shaun Hill stays the starter. Frank Gore the lead back. Isaac Bruce against his former team. The Rams come in with Marc Bulger at quarterback and a defense that has been the kind of midseason mismatch the league has produced for the 49ers' offensive identity.
Favored by 3 at home. The kind of home game where Mike Singletary's coaching style, in its third week of full preparation, gets a winnable opponent. A win moves the 49ers to 3-7.
Week 11 across the NFC sees the playoff contenders pulling away. The Giants (8-1), Cowboys (6-3), Cardinals (6-3), Saints, and Eagles lead the conference. The 49ers (2-7) and Rams (2-7) tied in the NFC West cellar. The Sunday game is the kind of week where the loser falls to 2-8 and the winner gets to 3-7, which in the NFC West conversation is the kind of result that, at this point in the season, is more about identity than playoff math.
Through nine games the 49ers are 2-7 with a -64 point differential. Shaun Hill averages 5.4 yards per attempt with two TDs and two INTs in his only start of the year. Frank Gore averages 80 rushing yards a game. Isaac Bruce averages 67 receiving yards a game. The defense allows 27.5 points a game. The Rams are 2-7 with Marc Bulger averaging 240 passing yards a game and 6 TDs/8 INTs. Steven Jackson is on the injury report. Donnie Avery leads the team in catches. Vegas opens the 49ers as 3-point home favorites; total 41.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots | 6-3 | W1 |
| New York Jets | 6-3 | W3 |
| Buffalo Bills | 5-4 | L3 |
| Miami Dolphins | 5-4 | W3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Ravens | 6-3 | W4 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 6-3 | L1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 3-6 | L2 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 1-8 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Tennessee Titans | 9-0 | W9 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 5-4 | W2 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 4-5 | W1 |
| Houston Texans | 3-6 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 5-4 | W1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 4-5 | W1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 2-7 | L3 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 1-8 | L5 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona Cardinals | 6-3 | -- |
| St. Louis Rams | 2-7 | L3 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 2-7 | L2 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 2-7 | L6 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 8-1 | W4 |
| Washington Redskins | 6-3 | L1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 5-4 | L1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 5-4 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 5-4 | L1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 5-4 | W2 |
| Green Bay Packers | 4-5 | L2 |
| Detroit Lions | 0-9 | L9 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Carolina Panthers | 7-2 | W3 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 6-3 | W2 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 6-3 | W1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 4-5 | L1 |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Frank Gore 5 yard rush ( Joe Nedney kick) | 0-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Rams | Josh Brown 24 yard field goal | 3-7 |
| 49ers | Vernon Davis 2 yard pass from Shaun Hill ( Joe Nedney kick) | 3-14 |
| 49ers | Frank Gore 1 yard rush ( Joe Nedney kick) | 3-21 |
| 49ers | Shaun Hill 1 yard rush ( Joe Nedney kick) | 3-28 |
| 49ers | Bryant Johnson 2 yard pass from Shaun Hill ( Joe Nedney kick) | 3-35 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Rams | Josh Brown 48 yard field goal | 6-35 |
| Rams | Josh Brown 44 yard field goal | 9-35 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Rams | Dane Looker 2 yard pass from Marc Bulger ( Josh Brown kick) | 16-35 |
Frank Gore ran for 106 yards on 18 carries with two touchdowns and the 49ers crushed the St. Louis Rams 35-16 at Candlestick Park. Shaun Hill threw for 213 yards and two touchdowns. Bryant Johnson caught a touchdown. Isaac Bruce, against his former team, caught one. The defense intercepted Marc Bulger twice. The 49ers scored 28 second-quarter points and improved to 3-7.[1][2][3]
Frank Gore ran for 106 yards Sunday afternoon at Candlestick. The 49ers' lead back, in his second multi-touchdown game of the year, ran the kind of game the Mike Singletary interim era was built around. The 49ers crushed the St. Louis Rams 35-16 in the kind of home division win where the new staff's identity actually translated into the box score.
Shaun Hill threw two touchdowns. Bryant Johnson caught one. Isaac Bruce, against his former team, caught one. The 49ers scored 28 second-quarter points. The defense intercepted Marc Bulger twice. The kind of home game where the offense produced and the defense closed it out.
3-7. The kind of home win where Singletary's first interim victory landed against a beatable opponent. The Dallas Cowboys on the road next Sunday in another NFC East matchup. The kind of road test the team will face with two-of-three home games coming up. The Singletary identity, in its first NFL win, looked like the kind of football the new head coach was promising.
49ers 35, Rams 16. Margin: +19. Ten-game record: 3-7, -45 differential.
* Frank Gore: 18 carries for 106, 2 TDs.
* Shaun Hill: 15-of-20 for 213, 2 TDs (Johnson + 1), 0 INTs.
* Bryant Johnson: 4 catches for 56, 1 TD.
* Isaac Bruce: 1 catch (vs former team).
* 49ers D: 2 INTs of Marc Bulger.
* Marc Bulger: 34-of-53 for 295, 1 TD, 2 INTs.
* Antonio Pittman: 14 carries for 95.
* 28 49ers 2Q points.
* 49ers 3-7 (Singletary 1st W); Rams 2-8.
A 35-16 home division win over the St. Louis Rams at Candlestick. Mike Singletary earns his first NFL head-coaching win.
How it unfolded
The 49ers scored on their opening drive with a Frank Gore touchdown to make it 7-0. The Rams answered with a Marc Bulger drive that ended on a field goal to make it 7-3. The second quarter is where the game broke open: a Shaun Hill touchdown to Bryant Johnson, a Frank Gore second touchdown, another Hill touchdown, and a Nedney field goal pushed the lead to 35-3 by halftime. The third quarter was a Rams field goal to make it 35-6. The fourth quarter was a Rams touchdown drive and a field goal to close it 35-16. The defense generated two interceptions of Bulger.
The turning point
The 28-point second quarter. With the score 7-3 and the offense looking for rhythm, the four-touchdown second quarter (with three Hill passes and two Frank Gore runs) gave the 49ers the kind of pull-away halftime lead the year had not produced before.
By the numbers
Hill 213 passing on 20 attempts with two TDs. Gore 106 rushing on 18 carries with two TDs. Bryant Johnson 56 receiving on 4 catches with a TD. Bruce 1 catch. Vernon Davis 1 catch for 20. Bulger 295 on 53 attempts with a TD and two INTs. Antonio Pittman 95 rushing.
Personnel watch
Frank Gore in his fourth multi-touchdown game of the year. Shaun Hill's most efficient passing day of the year (15-of-20, no INTs). The Mike Singletary first head-coaching win, the kind of home blowout where the new staff's defensive identity actually held up. Bryant Johnson's first 49ers receiving TD.
What it means
3-7 with the Cowboys on the road next Sunday. The kind of home win where the new staff's identity, in its third week of preparation, actually translated into the box score. The kind of victory that lets Singletary build a case for the permanent job in the off-week meetings.
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Shaun Hill | 15/20 | 213 | 2 | 0 | |
| J.T. O'Sullivan | 0/1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| STL | |||||
| Marc Bulger | 34/53 | 295 | 1 | 2 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Frank Gore | 18 | 106 | 2 | 37 |
| DeShaun Foster | 10 | 17 | 0 | 11 |
| Michael Robinson | 3 | 11 | 0 | 10 |
| Shaun Hill | 3 | 5 | 1 | 3 |
| J.T. O'Sullivan | 1 | -1 | 0 | -1 |
| Isaac Bruce | 1 | -3 | 0 | -3 |
| STL | ||||
| Antonio Pittman | 14 | 95 | 0 | 24 |
| Kenneth Darby | 7 | 26 | 0 | 13 |
| Marc Bulger | 2 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Bryant Johnson | 4 | 56 | 1 | 42 |
| Michael Robinson | 2 | 54 | 0 | 36 |
| DeShaun Foster | 2 | 40 | 0 | 31 |
| Jason Hill | 3 | 33 | 0 | 22 |
| Isaac Bruce | 1 | 20 | 0 | 20 |
| Frank Gore | 2 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Vernon Davis | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| STL | ||||
| Donnie Avery | 9 | 93 | 0 | 29 |
| Kenneth Darby | 8 | 83 | 0 | 30 |
| Torry Holt | 5 | 60 | 0 | 22 |
| Derek Stanley | 3 | 21 | 0 | 16 |
| Keenan Burton | 2 | 13 | 0 | 7 |
| Dane Looker | 2 | 8 | 1 | 6 |
| Anthony Becht | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Joe Klopfenstein | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Antonio Pittman | 3 | 4 | 0 | 8 |
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