Purdy put on a show at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
San Francisco thumped Los Angeles 27-7 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground overnight. Brock Purdy threw three touchdown passes and the Rams never found a way back.
Purdy finished 25 of 34 for 205 yards. Christian McCaffrey racked up 88 all-purpose yards. More importantly, the 49ers ran for 174 yards and wore down a defence packed with star names that barely made a dent.
Down 7-3, the Californians rattled off 24 unanswered points. They also won the first regular-season game ever played in Australia.
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Sean McVay’s gamble backfired
The turning point came in the third quarter. Sean McVay turned down a short field goal that would have cut the gap to seven and instead went for a quarterback sneak on fourth down from inside the one. San Francisco stuffed Matthew Stafford, took over at 17-7 and 3’41 on the clock.
From there, Purdy was in full control. He led a 99-yard drive in 11 plays, capped by a 15-yard pass to Deebo Samuel after escaping pressure to his right. 24-7. Dre’ Greenlaw then ripped the ball from Tyler Higbee’s hands and set up Eddy Pineiro for a 56-yard field goal.
Stafford finished 15 of 25 for 155 yards before giving way to Stetson Bennett to close it out. It was only the second time in his last 85 starts that he has been held under 10 points. Kyren Williams scored the Rams’ only touchdown, plunging in from 5 yards out in the second quarter.
Myles Garrett nowhere to be seen
The Rams converted just 2 of their 9 third downs and 1 of 3 on fourth. Their defence was on the field far too long, and the wear showed after half-time.
Myles Garrett, the big offseason signing, spent several series on the bench after the break. No sack, no pressure, nothing.
For the 49ers, Demarcus Robinson punished his former team with a 39-yard catch that put San Francisco ahead in the second quarter. Mike Evans added a 2-yard touchdown in the third. Evans and Samuel caught six balls each. Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, by contrast, managed just eight receptions for 100 yards between them. Not nearly enough.
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