Eddy Piñeiro hit a 41-yard field goal in overtime before San Francisco stopped Kyren Williams on fourth down with 3:36 to play as the short-handed 49ers hung on for a thrilling 26-23 victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night.
Mac Jones, standing in for the injured Brock Purdy, passed for 342 yards and two touchdowns while playing through a leg injury for the 49ers (4-1), who scored on their first two drives and led 20-7 late in the third quarter.
Los Angeles finally mounted a rally, but with help from several glaring Rams mistakes the Niners hung on to win their first OT game since losing Super Bowl 58 in February 2024.
The frantic fourth quarter featured Piñeiro's tiebreaking 59-yard field goal with 2:52 left, Williams' subsequent goal-line fumble and Joshua Karty's tying 48-yard field goal for the Rams (3-2) with two seconds to play.
The Rams gave the ball to San Francisco to begin overtime, and Jones drove to set up Piñeiro's fourth field goal with 5:51 left.
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Stats leaders:
San Francisco 49ers
Passing: Mac Jones, 33/49, 342 yards, 2 TDs
Rushing: Christian McCaffrey, 22 carries, 57 yards
Receiving: Kendrick Bourne, 10 catches, 142 yards
Los Angeles Rams
Passing: Matthew Stafford, 30/47, 389 yards, 3 TDs
Rushing: Kyren Williams, 14 carries, 65 yards
Receiving: Davante Adams, 5 catches, 88 yards
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Los Angeles marched down the field, and facing fourth-and-one at the San Francisco 11, coach Sean McVay elected to go for it - only to call a running play that he regretted almost immediately. Marques Sigle and Deommodore Lenoir got credit for smothering Williams well short of the first down.
Kendrick Bourne had career highs of 10 catches for 142 yards for San Francisco, while Jones played impressively through an apparent leg injury. Christian McCaffrey had 139 total yards for the 49ers, who snapped their three-game losing streak in this rivalry despite the injury absences of Purdy - who is "week to week" with his toe injury, Shanahan revealed - and the majority of their marquee players.
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San Francisco then lost starting defensive linemen Kalia Davis and Yetur Gross-Matos to injuries during the game, but rookie backup lineman Alfred Collins made the biggest play of the night when he forced and recovered Williams' fumble at the goal line with 1:05 left in regulation.
Collins punched the ball away and fell on it when Williams was inches from scoring a go-ahead touchdown. Williams lost the ball five days after Indianapolis' Adonai Mitchell fumbled an instant before crossing the same goal line in the Rams' 27-20 victory.
Matthew Stafford passed for 389 yards and three touchdowns for the Rams, who lost despite racking up 319 yards after half-time.
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Los Angeles missed a long field goal, had an extra point blocked and fumbled twice deep in 49ers territory. The Rams still used their three timeouts to force a punt after Williams' fumble and drove to force OT.
Puka Nacua had 10 receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown, becoming the first receiver in NFL history with more than 50 catches in his team's first five games.
Purdy sat out for the third time in four games with his toe injury. San Francisco also played without injured receivers Jauan Jennings, Ricky Pearsall and Brandon Aiyuk - but Jones, Bourne and a fired-up defense did just enough to reassert the Niners' dominance in this matchup.
When is the NFL next on Sky Sports?
On Sunday October 5, watch Minnesota Vikings face Cleveland Browns at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium live on Sky Sports NFL at 2pm. The game in London will be followed by the Denver Broncos against the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers meet the Seattle Seahawks.
The Rams (3-2) are now scheduled to meet Lamar Jackson's Baltimore Ravens (1-3) on October 12 in Week Six, while the 49ers (4-1) play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1).
Watch the 2025 NFL season live on Sky Sports, including every London and European game as well as every minute of the playoffs and Super Bowl LX; Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW.