Niner Noise
FanSided

3 takeaways from 49ers road win over Rams in Week 6

By Jeremy Wohlfart

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 13: George Kittle #85 of the San Francisco 49ers and Kwon Alexander #56 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrate their 20-7 win over the Los Angeles Rams on the phone on their way into the locker room at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on October 13, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 13: George Kittle #85 of the San Francisco 49ers and Kwon Alexander #56 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrate their 20-7 win over the Los Angeles Rams on the phone on their way into the locker room at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on October 13, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 13: Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers looks to pass in the second half against the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on October 13, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 13: Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers looks to pass in the second half against the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on October 13, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

No. 2: The passing game gets it done

You’ll hear a lot about how quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo struggled against the Rams. There’s some truth to this, but there’s also a major caveat.

Yes, Garoppolo threw a very bad interception into the end zone (and had another would-be interception dropped), and he did fumble the ball to give the Rams the slightest sniff in the end.

But when you face one of the best defenders in the league in Aaron Donald, and you’re playing with a ramshackle offensive line, miscues will happen.

What would have silenced this is if the team got all the points it left out on the field. Garoppolo’s interception left three points on the field, another three points went begging with another missed field goal from kicker Robbie Gould (in fairness, it was a long attempt) and running back Tevin Coleman dropped a sure touchdown, which made the 49ers settle for three points instead of a touchdown.

The score should have at least been 30-7 instead of 20-7. Garoppolo did a good job, especially when you consider the Rams did everything possible to stop the running game.

The Rams dared Garoppolo to beat them, and he did just that. He was not a game manager, he was a true franchise quarterback even if he wasn’t perfect.

Garoppolo finished with 24-of-33 passing for 243 yards and an interception. He didn’t throw a touchdown, but a quarterback sneak gave him a rushing touchdown, which was some reward for effort.

People will point to the relatively low 243 yards figure, but the 49ers successfully planned a lot of screens and quick throws to avoid the offensive line being overly tested.

He hasn’t been tested in a shootout yet, but Garoppolo has shown that he can carry the offense on his back.