Everything You Missed on Thursday Night Football in Week 15

Thursday Night Football kicked off week 15 of the NFL season with an NFC West showdown between the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers. Matt Stafford and the Rams were coming off an upset win over Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills in what was the highest-scoring game of the season so far (the Rams won 44-42). Meanwhile, the 49ers were on the heels of a decisive victory over Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears.

Unfortunately for San Francisco, injuries have played the 49ers this season. They limped into week 15 at 6-7 with only a 9% chance of making the postseason. A loss on Thursday would drop those odds to less than 1%.

Did you miss any of the action? If so, we’ve got you covered with the recap, highlights, and reactions that you need to get all caught up.

A Slow Start

The 49ers got the ball to start the game, and Brock Purdy quickly targeted WR Deebo Samuel. While the two were unable to connect on a short pass attempt, Samuel has been vocal in the last week about his lack of opportunities in the 49ers offense.

A short run by Isaac Guerendo, who surprised 49ers’ fans with his availability this week after spraining his foot last week, and a missed throw to George Kittle, led to the 49ers going three and out on their first drive.

When the 49ers defense took the field, it did so with three of its top playmakers in action for the first time, at least together, this season. Nick Bosa, Dre Greenlaw, and Fred Warner haven’t been on the field at the same time since the team’s Super Bowl loss last year.

During that game, Greenlaw suffered torn ligaments in his knee while running onto the field. The reunited 49ers defense got the job done on its first drive, holding the Rams to a three-and-out.

There was more Deebo Samuel on the 49ers' second drive, which resulted in points. While San Fran wasn’t able to get into the end zone, Samuel touched the ball as a running back, setting up for a Jake Moody field goal from 53 yards out as the 49ers went up 3-0 on a team they’ve been facing for more than 70 years.

The offenses struggled to get going throughout the rest of the first quarter, which saw seven total punts. The Rams didn’t pick up a single first down in the opening quarter of action, but the defense managed to keep things close, stifling the 49ers offense.

Neither team’s offense looked anything like the two squads we saw last week, and as rain showers moved into the Bay Area, it looked as though this game may go from a high-powered shootout to a slow-paced, low-scoring affair.

A Slow First Half

Low scoring may have been an understatement. While the Rams did finally break through and pick up a few first downs, neither team could find the end zone throughout the rest of the first half. As the half came to an end, Matt Stafford was 4-12 for a paltry 23 yards while Brock Purdy was 9-19 for 96 yards.

The Rams did get into field-goal range near the two-minute warning. However, because of the terrible conditions, the Rams lined up to go for it on fourth-and-two from the 49ers 30-yard line. McVay and company thought better of it and called a timeout.

Rookie Josh Karty, who played his college ball at Stanford, just up the road from San Francisco’s Levi’s Stadium, kicked a 48-yard field goal to tie the game at 3-3.

A Tale of Two Halves

Mercifully, the rain in the Bay Area moved out just as the first half came to an end. This meant that the sloppy play from the first half should be forgotten and these two high-powered offenses would have a chance to shine in the second.

For a moment, that didn’t look like it was going to be the case as the Rams opened the second half with the ball only to go three and out once again. San Francisco then took the ball and put together a 10-play drive that ate up around five minutes of the clock.

Unfortunately, Deebo Samuel had a rare and untimely drop on third down which led to a Jake Moody field goal from 47 yards out as San Fran reclaimed the lead by a score of 6-3.

While Matt Stafford and the Rams offense certainly didn’t look as potent as last week, the ensuing drive was much closer to what fans were expecting. The Rams got the ball at their own 30-yard line with 8:23 to go in the third quarter and didn’t give it back. As the third quarter came to an end, Los Angeles had the ball inside the San Francisco 10.

This game was the 152nd meeting between these two storied franchises and this game marked the first time ever that the third quarter had ended without a touchdown.

After failing to convert on a third-and-four from the 49ers five-yard line, the Rams were called for holding on an incomplete pass. You guessed it; another field goal from Josh Karty who tied the game up at 6-6. The field goal ended a drive that consisted of 17 plays and ate up roughly 10 minutes of game clock.

Firepower in the Fourth

The 49ers’ offense wasn’t able to do anything with the defense’s goal line stand, quickly punting the ball back to the Rams. On the Rams’ first play from scrimmage, Matt Stafford finally connected on a deep ball to Puka Nacua for a 51-yard completion, the longest play of the game up to that point.

However, the 49ers’ defense came up big once again, shutting down any momentum that the Rams hoped to gain from the big play. Josh Karty connected on his third field goal attempt of the night as the Rams took a 9-6 lead with a little more than nine minutes to go in the game.

The first turnover of the night came with 5:14 to go in the third quarter when Brock Purdy overthrew Jauan Jennings, allowing Darious Williams to come up with a pick in the end zone. The Rams were able to string together a clock-eating drive that took the game clock to under 30 seconds as Josh Karty came back onto the field to kick his fourth field goal of the night, as the Rams went up 12-6, which would be the final score.

It could easily be argued that many of the 49ers’ offensive issues in this one were the result of trying to force the ball to Deebo Samuel. He was targeted seven times in the game, but only hauled in three receptions for 16 yards. It is worth noting that the 49ers were without Christian McCaffery, Brandon Aiyuk, and Trent Williams, three of their most important pieces on offense.

The game was anything but an offensive shootout, as Matt Stafford ended the game 16-27 for 160 yards. Things weren’t any better on the 49ers sideline, as Brock Purdy ended this one 14-31 for 142 yards. Purdy’s interception, the only turnover of the game, proved to be enough to knock San Francisco out of this divisional matchup.

With the loss, the 49ers (6-8) have all but lost hope for the postseason, as they now have less than a 1% chance of making the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Rams are still in the mix for the NFC West. Los Angeles, who came into this game with a 26% chance of making the postseason now has a 41% chance of getting a playoff berth.

What’s Next?

The Rams will fly across the country to take on Aaron Rodgers and the Jets next week while the 49ers will head to South Beach to take on the Miami Dolphins.

Meanwhile, Thursday Night Football stays in California next week as Justin Herbert and the Chargers play host to Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos in a battle between two of the most exciting young QBs in the game. It will also mark the fifth matchup between head coaches Jim Harbaugh (LAC) and Sean Payton (DEN), with Harbaugh holding a 3-1 lead over his opponent next week.