The San Francisco 49ers’ unexpected 27–24 loss to the Los Angeles Rams caused an uproar in the NFL community.
Despite having a 14-point lead in the second half, the 49ers collapsed due to their own mistakes.
Key receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Ronnie Bell dropped key passes, derailing promising drives.
Quarterback Brock Purdy was impressive with 292 yards and three touchdowns, but could not recover from a costly mistake late in the first half that changed the momentum of the game.
NFL analyst Nick Wright unhesitantly called it a “catastrophic loss” for the 49ers.
In “First Things First”, Wright expressed disbelief that a team that was a touchdown favorite lost to a team that had more glaring weaknesses.
He said, “Brock Purdy played really well,” but also noted that the quarterback failed to engineer a game-tying drive in the final moments — a feat reminiscent of Tom Brady’s clutch heroics.
“It was a horrible loss. Brock Purdy played really well, but this defense let Matt Stafford and the kids on his block beat them.”
, @getnickwright A point of concern for the 49ers pic.twitter.com/MlN944Pq9c
— FIRST OF ALL (@FTFonFS1) September 23, 2024
Wright also sparked speculation by suggesting that former 49ers defensive line coach Steve Wilks was fired after the Super Bowl LVIII loss and had been unfairly made a scapegoat.
The analyst’s scathing assessment continued, as he joked that the current 49ers defense “let Matt Stafford and the kids on his block beat them.”
In fact, the 49ers defense struggled considerably in Week 3.
He allowed the Rams to score 27 points, including a game-winning field goal.
The lack of pressure on Stafford was evident, as he passed for 221 yards while completing 16 of 25 passes without throwing an interception.
This defensive collapse was especially disappointing given the absence of the Rams’ star receiver Cooper Kupp.
The Rams faced major challenges as a communication breakdown in the secondary further exposed the 49ers’ defensive weaknesses.
As the dust begins to settle from this upset, the 49ers will need to regroup and address the burning issues that turned a potential win into a stunning loss.
next:
Christian McCaffrey is reportedly meeting with a specialist overseas