The Los Angeles Rams picked up a massive win in the NFC playoff race on Thursday night, beating the San Francisco 49ers by a 12-6 margin.
It was the exact opposite game from the Rams’ win over Buffalo a week ago when they found themselves in a back-and-forth scoring fest with the Buffalo Bills, but the result is still the same in the standings.
Here are four takeaways from Thursday’s game.
1. Rams keep pace in NFC playoff race
The Rams are not in any position to care about style points right now. They just have to keep winning games, and that is exactly what they did here. The win improves them to 8-6, pulls them to within a half game of Seattle for the top spot in the NFC West and improves their chances for a potential wild-card spot if they were to fail to catch Seattle.
The Rams, by the way, host Seattle in Week 18 in a game that could be a win-or-go-home matchup.
After starting the season 1-4, the Rams have gone 7-2 in their past nine games with wins over Minnesota, Seattle, Buffalo and now San Francisco. They are one of the hottest teams in the league and one that nobody wants to see in the playoffs.
If they simply win out, they will win the NFC West.
Their remaining three games are against the New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals and Seahawks at home. That is certainly an attainable goal.
2. The 49ers are cooked
Blame the injuries if you want — and it would be fair — but there has simply been something missing from this 49ers team all season. Now their playoff chances are pretty gone.
They were already facing an uphill battle and entered the night with only a 9% chance of making the playoffs.
With Thursday’s loss, those odds dropped down to just 0.1%.
It is a massively disappointing season for a team that was in the Super Bowl a year ago and entered the campaign with what was widely regarded as one of the most talented rosters in the league.
It is starting to look like maybe they missed their chance for a ring with this core group of players.
3. Deebo Samuel had a terrible night
Wide receiver Deebo Samuel was mad this week about not getting the football, making a now-deleted social media post about his lack of passes that became a major talking point all week.
The 49ers seemed to go out of their way in an effort to get him the football on Thursday. It did not work.
Samuel caught just three of the seven passes thrown his way for only 16 yards, while also being flagged for a false start penalty early in the game. The worst play of the night for him, however, was a brutal drop on a wide-open pass that would have not only given the 49ers a first down, but potentially a touchdown if Samuel had been able to hold onto the football.
