49ers grades from playoff-clinching overtime win vs. Rams

The 49ers didn’t start off pretty. But with the playoffs on the line, a second-half surge and some overtime heroics resulted in a win and some positive grades.

In an ideal world, the San Francisco 49ers would have made things much easier on themselves by not falling behind 17-0 to the Los Angeles Rams in what turned into a must-win Week 18 game in order to clinch a playoff berth.

Even more ideal would have been the Atlanta Falcons beating the New Orleans Saints, which would have ensured the Niners got into the postseason regardless of what happened on Sunday.

Alas, head coach Kyle Shanahan and Co. needed to overcome that deficit as they watched the Saints blow out the Falcons, leading to one of the more exciting and surely an extremely stressful 27-24 overtime win at SoFI Stadium.

Few things epitomize the outcome better than saying “it was a tale of two halves,” LA dominating the first two quarters before San Francisco engineered a desperate comeback to tie things up, only to lose the lead again after a quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo interception, then to have Garoppolo lead a game-tying drive just at the end of regulation.

Setting it all up for the overtime thriller, which ended with cornerback Ambry Thomas’ game-sealing interception after the 49ers kicked a go-ahead field goal.

Crazy.

With the playoffs now a reality for the Niners, it’s fortunate our Week 18 position grades won’t have to be wholly stained by what easily could have been an elimination loss.

Let’s get into those grades, shall we?