Rams Win 3rd-Straight Game Despite Quiet Night From Cooper Kupp

Christian Rozeboom (56) of the Los Angeles Rams celebrates with his teammates after defeating the San Francisco 49ers in the game at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Dec. 12, 2024. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

The Los Angeles Rams won for its third-straight game on Thursday and displeased many fantasy football owners in the process.

Los Angeles (8–6) beat the San Francisco 49ers 12–6 in a rain-soaked game where Rams star wide receiver Cooper Kupp primarily played a blocking role instead of catching passes. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford only threw to Kupp three times in a game where the only offense came from kickers. Fantasy football owners, meanwhile, obtained no points from Kupp’s performance, but the former Super Bowl MVP helped his team pick up a key victory on the field.

Rams head coach Sean McVay didn’t get questioned about and neither did he talk about Kupp’s quiet night. Rather, McVay praised his team for finding a way to win on a soggy night just four days after putting up 44 on the Buffalo Bills (10–3) in a two-point victory at home indoors at SoFi Stadium on Sunday.

“And I think what’s really cool is this team has found a bunch of ways to be able to win football games,” McVay told reporters afterward. “You come off a 44–42 game the other day and then you win 12–6, and our group did what they needed to do to be able to get it done. And the defense just felt like they were coming up with stop after stop.”

Rams kicker Joshua Karty went a perfect 4–4 on field goals with a long of 48 yards. He hit three in the second half to give the Rams the lead and a touchdown cushion in the fourth quarter to keep playoff hopes comfortably alive.

“This is what it’s all about. This is what you work so hard for,” Stafford told reporters afterward. “I just think back on, you know, all the OTAs, all the August training camp days, and the early-season injuries and struggles and things that you’ve got to overcome to try to get yourself a chance to have an opportunity to play meaningful football in this month.”

Niners kicker Jake Moody did what he could to keep things meaningful as he hit 2–2, which included a 53-yard field goal, but his team couldn’t make plays otherwise. Quarterback Brock Purdy went 14–31 for 142 yards and an interception that cost the team in the fourth quarter.

“I thought we had the right look with the corner off, and I thought we were going to get him,” Purdy told reporters afterward regarding the interception. “Just in that moment trying to be aggressive, give J.J. a shot.”

Purdy went deep for wide receiver Jauan Jennings, but the former Iowa State star overthrew it, and Rams cornerback Darious Williams picked it off near the end zone. Williams’s play prevented a touchdown or great field position, and the Rams made the 49ers pay with a fourth field goal from Karty for a 12–6 lead.

“Not good enough,” 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters afterward. “I thought we played good enough to win, obviously on defense and special teams, but we definitely didn’t play good enough on offense.”

Los Angeles then gave the 49ers (6–8) a chance late with a horse collar penalty on the kick return, but Purdy and company couldn’t get anything going in the final seconds. Rams linebacker Christian Rozeboom didn’t let Purdy have a chance from the 50-yard line with a game-sealing sack.

The Rams sacked Purdy three times overall and held the 49ers’ ground game to 3.3 yards per carry. Niners running back Isaac Guerendo had 16 carries for 57 yards, but the team had only six yards of production beyond him.

Offensively, the Rams got the job down on the ground with 142 yards rushing on 38 attempts. Rams running back Kyren Williams led the way with 108 yards on 29 carriers as he eclipsed 1,000 yards for the season.

“They got the run game going better than we did, and we had a couple of opportunities there in the pass game that I think could have led to 14 points,” Shanahan said.

The Rams, meanwhile, didn’t light it up in the passing game either, as Stafford went 16–27 passing for 160 yards, and wide receiver Puka Nacua served as his main target with seven catches for 97 yards, including a 51-yard reception. Tight ends Colby Parkinson and Hunter Long each had two receptions with 21 yards and 17 yards respectively.

“It was going to be tough to throw the football in the long run,” Stafford acknowledged.

Los Angeles sits a half game back of the Washington Commanders (8–5) for the final playoff NFC playoff spot. As for the Niners, things are looking more bleak with three games left in the season for the injury-riddled defending NFC champions.

“Obviously, this one hurts,” Purdy said. “But we have a lot of guys in the locker room that are going to continue to fight, including myself, for this organization and for our fan base and for each other more than anything to finish out the season in the right way and focus on one game at a time and see where we’re at the end of it.”