The 49ers’ 12-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on “Thursday Night Football” virtually eliminated San Francisco from the 2024 NFL playoff race.
But that’s not all.
Week 15’s ugly, rainy game at Levi’s Stadium saw a shift in bragging rights from the 49ers to the Rams, as LA swept San Francisco in a season for the first time since 2018.
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"Being able to do that, knowing how good of a team they are and knowing the history with the two organizations, it's huge," LA running back Kyren Williams said (h/t Los Angeles Times’ Gary Klein). "And it shows that we're the big brothers now."
Big brothers, indeed. Sorry, Faithful.
San Francisco was on a 10-game winning streak against LA until suffering a valueless 21-20 loss in Week 18 of the 2023 season. Including that Jan. 7 matinee, the 49ers now have lost three straight to their Southern California NFC West rivals.
Under coach Kyle Shanahan, the 49ers have done well against the Rams and still lead the series, 10-7. However, Los Angeles and coach Sean McVay have accomplished more in the same span.
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The Rams won Super Bowl LVI over the Cincinnati Bengals in 2022 and even beat the 49ers in that season’s NFC Championship Game. San Francisco, meanwhile, is yet to bring home a sixth Vince Lombardi Trophy despite meeting Patrick Mahomes and the dynastic Kansas City Chiefs in the big game twice in five years.
McVay and his Rams seemingly ended the 49ers’ 2024 NFL season last night. LA improved to 8-6, with a good chance of winning the NFC West, while San Francisco fell to 6-8 and remains the doormat of the division.
As Williams said, the Rams currently are the “big brothers” in the SoCal-NorCal rivalry. Barring a playoff meeting, the 49ers will have to wait for their next campaign to get the bragging rights back.