The San Francisco 49ers just needed to get to third-and-16 to play their best football.
Jimmy Garoppolo came up big for the 49ers on Saturday night. After the Rams tied the game with 2:30 to go, Garoppolo hit a clutch 18-yard pass to Kendrick Bourne on third-and-16. Then on another third-and-16 in the final minute, Garoppolo found a surprisingly wide-open Emmanuel Sanders for 46 yards to set up a game-winning field goal from Robbie Gould as time expired. The Rams totally blew a coverage, leaving Sanders all alone downfield and Garoppolo found him.
The 49ers’ thrilling 34-31 win over the Rams officially eliminates Los Angeles from the playoff race, sending the Vikings to the postseason.