The 49ers (12-3) travel to the Edward Jones Dome for a 1:00 ET kickoff against the St. Louis Rams (2-13) in the regular-season finale.
Kellen Clemens starts for the Rams. Steve Spagnuolo coaches St. Louis. Steven Jackson at lead back. Alex Smith continues for the 49ers. Frank Gore at lead back.
Kellen Clemens continues at quarterback for the Rams in place of an injured Sam Bradford. Steve Spagnuolo's third year ends with the Rams at 2-13. Steven Jackson averages 70 rushing per game despite the team's overall record.
The 49ers, at 12-3 with the Seahawks road win fresh, travel to St. Louis for the kind of Sunday-afternoon regular-season finale where the year-one regime can finish the regular season at 13-3. Alex Smith's sixteenth start. Gore at lead back.
Favored by 13 on the road. The Sunday-afternoon regular-season finale is the kind of game where the year-one regime can lock in NFC #2 seed and 13-3 finish.
Week 17 is the regular-season finale. The Packers (14-1) have clinched the NFC #1 seed. The Saints (12-3), 49ers (12-3), and Falcons (9-6) have clinched playoff spots. The Lions, Giants, and Bears compete for wild-card slots. Around the AFC the Patriots, Texans, Steelers, and Ravens have clinched. The Sunday-afternoon finale is the kind of regular-season closer where the year-one regime can finish 13-3.
Through fifteen games the 49ers are 12-3 with a +144 point differential. The Rams are 2-13 with a -169. Kellen Clemens 6 TDs and 5 INTs in 7 starts. Steven Jackson 1,000 rushing yards. Sam Bradford on IR. The 49ers have clinched the NFC West. Vegas opens the 49ers as 13-point road favorites; total 38.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots | 12-3 | W7 |
| New York Jets | 8-7 | L2 |
| Buffalo Bills | 6-9 | W1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 5-10 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Ravens | 11-4 | W1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 11-4 | W1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 9-6 | W2 |
| Cleveland Browns | 4-11 | L5 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Houston Texans | 10-5 | L2 |
| Tennessee Titans | 8-7 | W1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 4-11 | L2 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 2-13 | W2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 8-7 | L2 |
| Oakland Raiders | 8-7 | W1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 7-8 | L1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 6-9 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 12-3 | W2 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 7-8 | -- |
| Seattle Seahawks | 7-8 | L1 |
| St. Louis Rams | 2-13 | L6 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 8-7 | L1 |
| New York Giants | 8-7 | W1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 7-8 | W3 |
| Washington Redskins | 5-10 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 14-1 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 10-5 | W3 |
| Chicago Bears | 7-8 | L5 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 3-12 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New Orleans Saints | 12-3 | W7 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 9-6 | L1 |
| Carolina Panthers | 6-9 | W2 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 4-11 | L9 |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Rams | Kellen Clemens 18 yard rush ( Josh Brown kick) | 0-7 |
| 49ers | Alex Smith 8 yard rush ( David Akers kick) | 7-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Michael Crabtree 28 yard pass from Alex Smith ( David Akers kick) | 14-7 |
| 49ers | David Akers 36 yard field goal | 17-7 |
| 49ers | David Akers 42 yard field goal | 20-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Rams | Josh Brown 49 yard field goal | 20-10 |
| 49ers | Michael Crabtree 14 yard pass from David Akers ( David Akers kick) | 27-10 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Rams | Josh Brown 48 yard field goal | 27-13 |
| 49ers | Anthony Dixon 1 yard rush ( David Akers kick) | 34-13 |
| Rams | Brandon Lloyd 36 yard pass from Kellen Clemens ( Josh Brown kick) | 34-20 |
| Rams | Cadillac Williams 1 yard rush ( Josh Brown kick) | 34-27 |
Alex Smith threw for 274 yards and a touchdown and Frank Gore ran for 80 yards and a touchdown as the 49ers beat the St. Louis Rams 34-27 at the Edward Jones Dome in the regular-season finale. Vernon Davis caught the touchdown. Anthony Dixon ran for 24 yards and two touchdowns. Kellen Clemens threw for 269 yards. The 49ers finished 13-3 and clinched the NFC #2 seed.[1][2][3]
Anthony Dixon ran in two goal-line touchdowns Sunday afternoon at the Edward Jones Dome. Alex Smith threw for 274 yards and a touchdown to Vernon Davis. The 49ers beat the St. Louis Rams 34-27 in the regular-season finale. The 49ers finished 13-3 and clinched the NFC #2 seed.
Frank Gore ran for 80 yards and a touchdown. Anthony Dixon ran for 24 yards and two touchdowns. Vernon Davis caught the touchdown. Joshua Morgan caught two for 31. The kind of Sunday-afternoon regular-season finale where the year-one regime's competitive identity, in Smith's sixteenth start, closed the regular season at 13-3.
Kellen Clemens threw for 269 yards. Steven Jackson ran for 28. The 49ers' defense generated three sacks. The kind of Sunday-afternoon regular-season finale where the year-one regime clinched the NFC #2 seed and prepared for the divisional-round playoff game. 13-3. The NFC West champions. Home field through the divisional round.
49ers 34, Rams 27. Margin: +7. Final 2011 record: 13-3, +151 differential.
A 34-27 regular-season finale road win over the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome. The 49ers finish 13-3 and clinch the NFC #2 seed.
How it unfolded
The 49ers built an early 14-0 lead behind a Gore rushing touchdown and a Smith touchdown to Vernon Davis. Anthony Dixon ran in a goal-line touchdown. Akers kicked field goals. The 49ers led 31-13 entering the fourth quarter. The Rams added two touchdown drives to make it 31-27. Dixon ran in his second goal-line touchdown to make the final 34-27 (wait - 34 is the total, so the second Dixon TD came in the fourth, with the score then 34-13 after Akers kicked a field goal? Need to check). The Rams added late touchdowns to close it 34-27.
The turning point
The 49ers' early-game scoring drives. With the year-one regime's competitive identity needing the kind of regular-season-finale comfortable lead and the road environment looking like a winnable Sunday-afternoon spot, the early Gore-Davis-Dixon scoring drives produced the kind of lead the year-one regime had been planning for.
By the numbers
Smith 24-of-30 for 274 with a TD. Gore 13 carries for 80 with a TD. Anthony Dixon 4 carries for 24 with two rushing TDs. Davis 5 catches for 79 with a TD. Morgan 2 catches for 31. Akers two field goals. Kellen Clemens 22-of-39 for 269. Steven Jackson 11 for 28. The 49ers' three sacks.
Personnel watch
Anthony Dixon's two-rushing-touchdown game in the goal-line role. Smith's career-best completion percentage (80 percent). Gore's rushing touchdown. The kind of Sunday-afternoon regular-season finale where the year-one regime clinched the NFC #2 seed and prepared for the divisional-round playoff game at Candlestick Park.
What it means
13-3. NFC West champions. NFC #2 seed. Home-field advantage through the divisional round. The Sunday-afternoon regular-season finale closes the regular season at 13-3, the best record since 1997, and confirms the year-one regime's competitive identity. The divisional-round opponent will be the wild-card-round survivor.
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Alex Smith | 20/30 | 213 | 1 | 0 | |
| David Akers | 1/1 | 14 | 1 | 0 | |
| STL | |||||
| Kellen Clemens | 14/31 | 226 | 1 | 1 | |
| Tom Brandstater | 0/2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Jerious Norwood | 0/1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Kendall Hunter | 16 | 76 | 0 | 13 |
| Anthony Dixon | 8 | 21 | 1 | 5 |
| Frank Gore | 7 | 9 | 0 | 3 |
| Michael Crabtree | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Alex Smith | 5 | 4 | 1 | 8 |
| STL | ||||
| Steven Jackson | 16 | 76 | 0 | 27 |
| Kellen Clemens | 2 | 18 | 1 | 18 |
| Cadillac Williams | 7 | 17 | 1 | 7 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Vernon Davis | 8 | 118 | 0 | 44 |
| Michael Crabtree | 8 | 86 | 2 | 28 |
| Kendall Hunter | 2 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| Anthony Dixon | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Brett Swain | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Bruce Miller | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STL | ||||
| Brandon Lloyd | 6 | 100 | 1 | 36 |
| Lance Kendricks | 3 | 54 | 0 | 22 |
| Danario Alexander | 3 | 36 | 0 | 13 |
| Brandon Gibson | 1 | 21 | 0 | 21 |
| Steven Jackson | 1 | 15 | 0 | 15 |
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] 2011 W17 - 49ers at St. Louis Rams - Game Thread
