Way back in 2021, having lost five of their previous six games, the San Francisco 49ers owned a 3-5 record before facing the Los Angeles Rams in a crucial Week 10 showdown that was nothing short of a must-win game to salvage the season.
Fullback Kyle Juszczyk stopped by the Niner Noise Podcast to tell us the mindset his Niners had after a brutal loss the previous week to the Arizona Cardinals, saying, "At the end of the day, no matter what happens in the previous game, whether it’s a win or loss, the only option you have is to come back to work and put everything into it."
Now, Juszczyk and Co. face a similar situation entering Week 5 as they gear up for another NFC West showdown versus L.A. in the wake of a brutal loss, this one coming at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars, who exposed plenty of woes San Francisco is currently dealing with in the 26-21 final.
Fortunately, history shows the 49ers have been pretty excellent when facing Los Angeles after losing the previous week.
49ers have had Rams' number after losing the week prior
Granted, the Rams swept the season series over the Niners in 2024. That said, head coach Kyle Shanahan has, more often than not, had the best of his friend and rival from Southern California, head coach Sean McVay, since the two started their respective positions in 2017.
And this might especially be true for San Francisco when it's coming off a loss. In fact, dating back to 2019, the 49ers are undefeated against L.A. after they lost the previous week's game:
The 49ers facing the Rams following a loss since 2019:
— Jason Aponte (@JasonAponte2103) September 29, 2025
2019: 34-31 win after loss to Atlanta
2020: 23-20 win after loss to New Orleans
2021: 31-10 win after loss to Arizona
2022: 24-9 win after loss to Denver & 31-14 win after loss to KC
So, when it comes to the Thursday Night Football clash at SoFI Stadium (a.k.a. "Levi's South), the Niners don't necessarily have to feel all the "doom and gloom" in the wake of such a soul-sucking loss to the Jags the previous weekend.
Plus, the short week might actually work in San Francisco's favor. It isn't as if Shanahan, Juszczyk and Co. have a lot of time to dwell on everything that went wrong.
And one can already assume a hefty portion of the crowd will be donning red instead of blue for the primetime showdown that'll determine first place within the NFC West.
The 49ers and Rams kick off Thursday Night Football on Oct. 2 at 8:15 p.m. ET from SoFI Stadium.