The 49ers (5-9) host the St. Louis Rams (2-12) at Candlestick Park for a 1:15 PT kickoff in the NFC West home rematch.
Marc Bulger starts at quarterback for the Rams. Steven Jackson runs the ball. Donnie Avery the WR1. Shaun Hill starts for the 49ers; Frank Gore is on the injury report and DeShaun Foster fills in; Isaac Bruce at receiver.
A 2-12 St. Louis Rams team. The 49ers (5-9) host a late-season division game where, against the league's second-worst team, a win puts the closing identity tape on the right side of the offseason.
Shaun Hill stays the starter. DeShaun Foster fills in for the injured Frank Gore. Isaac Bruce the WR1 against his former team. The Rams come in with Steven Jackson back from injury.
Favored by 7.5 at home. The 49ers, even with Gore out, should handle a beaten-down opponent and stay alive for a 7-9 finish.
Week 16 across the NFC sees the playoff field nearly set. The Giants, Cardinals, Falcons, Vikings, Eagles, Cowboys, and Bears compete for division titles and the final wild-card spots. The 49ers (5-9) are functionally eliminated. The Sunday game is the kind of week where the 49ers, against a 2-12 Rams team, should produce the kind of late-season home win the Singletary interim tenure needs to argue for the permanent job.
Through fourteen games the 49ers are 5-9 with a -46 point differential. Shaun Hill averages 6.4 yards per attempt with nine TDs and four INTs. Frank Gore is on the injury report. DeShaun Foster averages 4.2 yards per carry. Isaac Bruce averages 68 receiving yards a game. The defense allows 25.5 points a game. The Rams are 2-12 with Marc Bulger averaging 220 passing yards a game and 8 TDs/12 INTs. Steven Jackson returns from injury. Donnie Avery leads the team in receiving. Vegas opens the 49ers as 7.5-point home favorites; total 40.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 9-5 | W3 |
| New England Patriots | 9-5 | W2 |
| New York Jets | 9-5 | W1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 6-8 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 11-3 | W5 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 9-5 | L1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 4-10 | L4 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 2-11-1 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Tennessee Titans | 12-2 | L1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 10-4 | W7 |
| Houston Texans | 7-7 | W4 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 5-9 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 8-6 | L1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 6-8 | W2 |
| Oakland Raiders | 3-11 | L3 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 2-12 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona Cardinals | 8-6 | -- |
| San Francisco 49ers | 5-9 | L1 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 3-11 | W1 |
| St. Louis Rams | 2-12 | L8 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 11-3 | L2 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 9-5 | W1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 8-5-1 | W3 |
| Washington Redskins | 7-7 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Vikings | 9-5 | W4 |
| Chicago Bears | 8-6 | W2 |
| Green Bay Packers | 5-9 | L4 |
| Detroit Lions | 0-14 | L14 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Carolina Panthers | 11-3 | W3 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 9-5 | W1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 9-5 | L2 |
| New Orleans Saints | 7-7 | L1 |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Joe Nedney 48 yard field goal | 3-0 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Rams | Josh Brown 43 yard field goal | 3-3 |
| Rams | Keenan Burton 30 yard pass from Marc Bulger ( Josh Brown kick) | 3-10 |
| Rams | Josh Brown 38 yard field goal | 3-13 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| No scoring this quarter. | ||
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Rams | Josh Brown 22 yard field goal | 3-16 |
| 49ers | Isaac Bruce 3 yard pass from Shaun Hill ( Joe Nedney kick) | 10-16 |
| 49ers | Josh Morgan 48 yard pass from Shaun Hill ( Joe Nedney kick) | 17-16 |
Joe Nedney kicked a 47-yard field goal as time expired and the 49ers beat the St. Louis Rams 17-16 at Candlestick Park. Shaun Hill threw two touchdown passes (one to Isaac Bruce) but added three interceptions. Bruce caught seven for 61 with the touchdown. Steven Jackson ran for 108 yards on 32 carries. Marc Bulger threw for 227 yards and a touchdown. DeShaun Foster ran for 36. The 49ers improved to 6-9 with the walk-off field goal.[1][2][3]
Joe Nedney made a 47-yard field goal as time expired Sunday afternoon at Candlestick. The 49ers beat the St. Louis Rams 17-16 in the kind of late-December home win where, despite three Shaun Hill interceptions and one Steven Jackson 108-yard rushing day, the year's identity produced a clutch finish.
Isaac Bruce caught seven passes for 61 yards and a touchdown. Hill threw for 216 with two TDs and the three picks. DeShaun Foster ran for 36. Vernon Davis caught two for 22. The defense gave up a 108-yard rushing day to Jackson but generated multiple stops in the second half. Joe Nedney's 47-yarder cleared the upright with no time left.
6-9. The kind of home win where Mike Singletary's interim tenure produced its fourth victory and the kind of late-December momentum that makes the head-coach search a one-candidate field. The Washington Redskins on the road next Sunday for the season finale. A win closes the year 7-9, the same as 2007. Singletary's case is now actually built on football.
49ers 17, Rams 16. Margin: +1. Fifteen-game record: 6-9, -45 differential.
* Joe Nedney: 47y FG as time expired (game-winner).
* Shaun Hill: 18-of-34 for 216, 2 TDs (Bruce + 1), 3 INTs.
* Isaac Bruce: 7 catches for 61, 1 TD.
* DeShaun Foster: 12 carries for 36.
* Marc Bulger: 19-of-36 for 227, 1 TD, 1 INT.
* Steven Jackson: 32 carries for 108.
* Donnie Avery: receiving production.
* 49ers 6-9 (Singletary 4th W); Rams 2-13.
A 17-16 walk-off home win over the St. Louis Rams at Candlestick. Joe Nedney's 47-yard field goal as time expired wins it. The 49ers improve to 6-9.
How it unfolded
The 49ers opened with a Joe Nedney field goal. The Rams answered with a touchdown to make it 7-3. The second quarter was a Steven Jackson touchdown to push it to 13-3 (the extra point missed making it 13-3). Hill threw a touchdown to Isaac Bruce to make it 13-10. The Rams added a field goal to make it 16-10 at halftime. The third quarter was scoreless. The fourth quarter was a Hill touchdown drive that gave the 49ers a 17-16 lead. The Rams' final drive ended on a missed field goal. Hill drove the 49ers into Nedney range and the kicker made the 47-yarder as time expired.
The turning point
Joe Nedney's walk-off 47-yard field goal. With the score tied 16-16 (after a missed Rams extra point earlier and a 49ers go-ahead touchdown), the final-second field goal was the kind of clutch the year's identity, in five-of-six Singletary games producing competitive finishes, had been building toward.
By the numbers
Hill 216 passing on 34 attempts with two TDs and three INTs. Bruce 61 receiving on 7 catches with the TD. Vernon Davis 22 receiving on 2 catches. Foster 36 rushing on 12 carries. Bulger 227 on 36 attempts with a TD. Steven Jackson 108 rushing on 32 carries (no TDs).
Personnel watch
Joe Nedney's walk-off field goal, the kind of clutch the year's identity has been producing under Singletary. Shaun Hill's three-interception game (with two TDs) the kind of mixed-bag QB performance the year has produced. Isaac Bruce's touchdown against his former team. DeShaun Foster as the fill-in for the injured Frank Gore. The defense allowing 108 to Jackson but generating the key stops late.
What it means
6-9 with the Redskins on the road next Sunday for the season finale. A 49ers win closes the year 7-9, the same as 2007. The Singletary interim era's case for the permanent job is now actually built on football. The walk-off field goal is the kind of season-closing image the year's competitive arc has produced.
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Shaun Hill | 18/34 | 216 | 2 | 3 | |
| STL | |||||
| Marc Bulger | 19/36 | 227 | 1 | 1 | |
| Dane Looker | 1/1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Shaun Hill | 4 | 45 | 0 | 24 |
| DeShaun Foster | 12 | 36 | 0 | 8 |
| Michael Robinson | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| STL | ||||
| Steven Jackson | 32 | 108 | 0 | 12 |
| Kenneth Darby | 5 | 15 | 0 | 6 |
| Marc Bulger | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Keenan Burton | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Isaac Bruce | 7 | 61 | 1 | 21 |
| Bryant Johnson | 4 | 60 | 0 | 21 |
| Josh Morgan | 2 | 55 | 1 | 48 |
| DeShaun Foster | 2 | 17 | 0 | 11 |
| Vernon Davis | 1 | 17 | 0 | 17 |
| Jason Hill | 2 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| STL | ||||
| Kenneth Darby | 5 | 57 | 0 | 25 |
| Donnie Avery | 5 | 56 | 0 | 18 |
| Torry Holt | 4 | 55 | 0 | 18 |
| Keenan Burton | 1 | 30 | 1 | 30 |
| Daniel Fells | 1 | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| Steven Jackson | 2 | 11 | 0 | 7 |
| Marc Bulger | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Joe Klopfenstein | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
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] 2008 W16 - 49ers at St. Louis Rams - Game Thread
