5 players to blame for 49ers' despicable Week 3 loss to Rams

The 49ers' meltdown in Week 3 to the Rams is accompanied by plenty of finger-pointing to go around.

The San Francisco 49ers quite literally snatched defeat from the jaws of victory last Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams.

Despite owning two separate double-digit leads over their NFC West rivals, the Niners nevertheless collapsed late in the fourth quarter in Week 3, falling to 1-2 after watching an LA field goal go through the uprights with a mere two seconds in regulation, marking the only time Los Angeles led in the contest at SoFI Stadium.

Sure, quarterback Brock Purdy and wide receiver Jauan Jennings were awesome in the affair. But their combined efforts were more or less wasted with a myriad of mistakes and gaffes elsewhere and on all three phases of play.

There's no shortage of blame to go around, but these five players carry the bulk of the burden for what went wrong in Southern California.

No. 5: Right tackle Colton McKivitz

It's becoming clear San Francisco gaffed by not finding an upgrade last offseason for right tackle Colton McKivitz, and the embattled lineman played a key role in derailing what was a promising 49ers offensive drive late in the first half by giving up a crucial strip-sack fumble on Purdy at the opponent's 40-yard line.

Los Angeles didn't score on the ensuing possession, running out of time before the half. And it didn't score on the potential "lapping" attempt to begin the third quarter either.

However, given the fact McKivitz's whiff on the block against the Rams' defender, Byron Young, negated an excellent chance for the 49ers to at least tack on three points, it's safe to say this played a big role in the defeat down the line.

No. 4: Safety Malik Mustapha

There are plenty of reasons to believe rookie safety Malik Mustapha will be a solid pro player, including significant hype from his preseason campaign.

That said, Mustapha showed why he still has plenty of room to grow.

The defensive back whiffed on multiple tackles, trying to go for the bone-jarring hit instead of the sound takedown, including one miss that led to LA's second touchdown of the day:

Big hits are great on film and get the crowd pumped up, but they look awful when poorly executed.

Mustapha didn't help his team's cause on this one.

No. 3: Linebacker De'Vondre Campbell

Speaking of defensive miscues, veteran linebacker De'Vondre Campbell has largely been a liability for the Niners over the first three weeks, and Week 3 was easily his worst effort as San Francisco tries to navigate through life without the injured Dre Greenlaw.

Campbell was flagged for a costly penalty late in the game that set up Los Angeles' game-winning field goal, which was bad enough. And he was also caught completely flat-footed against running back Kyren Williams' first score of the day:

Sure, safety Talanoa Hufanga failed to make the goal-line tackle, too. But Campbell didn't do his teammate any service by essentially taking himself out of the play by failing to read the inside cut.

The 49ers can't wait to get Greenlaw back on the field.

No. 2: Kicker Jake Moody

Granted, the Niners never should have been in a position where a game could be decided by a simple field goal, yet that's what happens amid a fourth-quarter collapse.

Kicker Jake Moody was excellent in Week 1, and he hit all of his kicks (both field goals and extra-point attempts) in Week 2, too.

However, missing a 55-yard shot with just over two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and a chance to put San Francisco up by 10 points was a dagger.

Yes, that would have been a long kick, and it had the distance. But Moody's collegiate reputation, coupled with the fact the 49ers used a third-round NFL Draft pick on him a year ago, means he should be making those clutch attempts.

Not missing wide right.

No. 1: Wide receiver Ronnie Bell

Understandably, the Niners were forced to dig deep into their offensive arsenal after being without wide receiver Deebo Samuel (calf) and tight end George Kittle (hamstring) for the game. Had those two been healthy, second-year wideout Ronnie Bell wouldn't exactly be seeing much of the field.

While Jennings received the lion's share of targets from Purdy, Bell had two chances to come up big on his limited opportunities.

Of his three targets, Bell dropped two of them, including a thud of a drop on a would-be first-down conversion late in the fourth quarter that could have iced the game in favor of San Francisco.

Instead, the 49ers were ultimately forced to punt and gave up a massive return that set Los Angeles up for its game-sealing field goal.

Bell, meanwhile, maintained his reputation for not being able to hold onto passes, and that facet led directly to the Niners' loss at SoFI.

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