The San Francisco 49ers were able to stop Kyren Williams on fourth-and-1 in overtime to escape SoFi Stadium with a 26-23 win.
Rather than opt to kick for a short game-tying field goal, Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay opted to go for it on fourth down from the 11-yard line. The 49ers defense then stuffed Williams, allowing San Francisco to improve to 4-1.
Sean McVay Blamed for Loss By NFL Analyst
San Francisco now takes over sole possession of first place in the NFC West, while the Rams fall to 3-2.
En route to the 26-23 loss, Los Angeles quarterback Matthew Stafford threw for 389 yards and three touchdowns.
NFL analyst Skip Bayless posted to his X account, saying the loss is entirely in McVay’s hands.
“Incredibly uncreative call by McVay that just lost the game,” Bayless said. “Just a straight handoff to Kyren on 4th and 1 for the game. What a brutal loss for the Rams.”
Incredibly uncreative call by McVay that just lost the game. Just a straight handoff to Kyren on 4th and 1 for the game. What a brutal loss for the Rams.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) October 3, 2025
Bayless is the host of the sports opinion and debate shows UNDISPUTED and THE SKIP BAYLESS SHOW with Fox Sports. He was also previously with ESPN for several years.
McVay also took accountability for his play-calling decision in his postgame press conference.
“Bad call by me,” he said during the Rams’ post-game press conference. “Thought about maybe trying to draw them offsides, I took one [timeout], they took the other and it was a poor decision by me right there … I’m pretty sick right now. I’m sick of this spot I put our group in to end the game but hey, these are the tough beats you have to learn from and move forward and that’s what we’re going to to do.”
The 49ers were missing Brock Purdy, George Kittle, and a number of wide receivers in the midst of pulling out the victory. Kendrick Bourne was able to tally 10 catches for 142 yards, in addition to Mac Jones posting 342 passing yards and two touchdowns.
The Rams currently have the fifth-ranked offense on PFSN’s Offense Impact metric, with an overall offense impact score of 83.8.
Williams had 77 yards on 13 carries before the final play, but the Rams overall had nearly 400 yards passing.
The Los Angeles Rams now turn their attention to traveling to Baltimore to take on the Ravens on October 12 at M&T Bank Stadium.
