SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 03: San Francisco 49ers' wide receiver Deebo Samuel #19 runs for a touchdown as he breaks the tackle Los Angeles Rams' Jalen Ramsey #5 in the second quarter of their NFL game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 3, 2022. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
The 49ers shut down the Rams Monday night in a rematch of last season’s NFC Championship Game, getting revenge to the tune of a 24-9 win.
Deebo Samuel and Talanoa Hufanga provided the two spark plays, as Samuel scored on a 57-yard catch-and-run in the second quarter and Hufanga jumped a fourth-quarter screen intended for Cooper Kupp to stretch an eight-point lead to 15.
San Francisco got after Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, recording seven sacks in the win.
The Niners are now 2-2, as are the Rams and the rest of the NFC West.
Here’s what the 49ers had to say after the win:
KYLE SHANAHAN
On performance:
I was real happy overall for our whole team. It was a cool way to win. We knew it would be a battle. To keep them out of the end zone was great. I thought we had a chance to run away with it, especially with George’s touchdown (that was overturned). Huf’s pick-six got us right back at it.
On the game:
Coming off how we were last week, we needed to play good and I thought we did. Not perfect at all but definitely played better.
On whether he got a feel this week that Deebo would make a big play:
I always feel that from Deebo, regardless of the practice. He had a good week, but he tends to do that, especially against them.
On the touchdown play
It was impressive, when the ball left the hand on the third down at first it looked like a pick. That corner was teeing off on it … For Deebo to come down with that throw, and then he did the rest.
On DC DeMeco Ryans
I thought DeMeco did a hell of a job mixing it up. Can’t stick with one thing against a team like that, against a quarterback like that.
On Garoppolo:
We didn’t convert a third down last week. Jimmy came out on the first drive and converted like three, made big throws and allowed us to keep going. He did a hell of a job on that early in the game and got us some points.
On Hufanga’s touchdown and what’s impressed him:
Not hesitating. It’s a play they run a lot, that we play a lot. that’s a really scary one just to tee off on — you better be right. … Anyone that’s seen him play, he doesn’t hesitate.
On Hufanga’s smart, quick-reacting style:
If you ask people back at SC, that was his style, was similar. He plays the game very well and the more guys you have like that, the better.
On Stafford:
He makes so many big plays, and most people like that, you are going to give other teams some chances. We used to say that about Brees. I see that with better guys, and it’s why you have a chance to make (defensive) plays.
On running vs. Rams:
They got some guys that are tough to block, and those safeties tend to play a little bit different against us, coming up in there … They’re a tough team to run the ball against, but we had some big ones today, which I think was the different.
On the protester:
I saw Bobby Wagner take somebody out. I thought it was kind of cool to see.
On pulling Burford for Brunskill:
Brunskill just got back for the first time in about a month. He’s done a real good job versus these guys. Spencer’s done a hell of a job here too in this month.
On reading the pick-six:
We were in man coverage, I was locked up with the tight end, they’ve been running screens all night. I saw a different release.
On thoughts during the play:
Turned my head, and the dropped ball in my face and not going to lie. Thought Stafford was going to catch me, not going to lie.
On what was going through his mind:
I should have been more patient and secured the catch. Had those plays in college where I made the tackle on the play.
On his mentality:
Being around Troy (Polamalu) has been a blessing because he sees it from a different perspective. When you do your job on a play, great things happen.
On moving quickly:
If you trigger and have no hesitation, you can really make those plays.
On the Rams:
We knew this was going to be an ice bag game. I never heard that term until I got here, actually. Every time we play those guys, it’s a physical matchup.
On working with Tashaun Gipson:
We’re contagious and we just feed off each other.
FRED WARNER
On the pick-six:
It was kind of that time of the game where one was bound to happen at one point. And of course it was Huf … Big-time play in a big-time moment.
On Hufanga:
He’s really just taken a hold of his role and ran away with it.
On racking up good performances:
Every week is just stacking days. If you watch the way we practice, you wouldn’t be surprised with how we perform in games. It’s a product of our preparation.
On beating the Rams in the regular season:
It’s always just such a tight matchup. We run similar schemes on offense and on both sides have such great players.
On Deebo’s long touchdown:
Every time he touches the ball, I feel like all of us on the sideline are just holding our breath.
On DeMeco Ryans’ playcalling:
I think DeMeco does a great job every game. Early on, you could see he was trying to call different things to see what would work.
DEEBO SAMUEL
On his touchdown:
Dude just missed the ball. My mentality is it’s just me and the ball out there and what happened after that is something I work on all the time.
On coming back after the NFC title game loss:
We knew we fell short last year and we gotta stack wins. One of the things we focused on all week long was just moving the ball, running the ball and converting third downs out there.
On running vs. catching:
I just see it as the same thing. With the ball in my hands, I just treat everything like a run.
On his touchdown to Samuel:
I saw him driving on it so I just didn’t want to throw the interception. Kind of gave it a ‘either Deebo will get it or no one will’, and that’s about all I did on that play. Deebo, he’s fun to watch.
On his comfort:
Every game I’ll feel better and better. The shoulder, it’s tough in the season to get it right. We’ve got a long season ahead of us.
On whether last week felt longer than usual after ugly loss to Denver:
Hell yeah. But when you go through a tough week like that, it makes this feel a lot better at the end.
On this matchup:
Every time we play the Rams, it’s a dogfight.
On being aggressive vs. not turning over:
That’s the fine line you play. Being a quarterback, you have a lot of responsibility.
On warming up in the third quarter:
Feeling good. Just trying to stay loose.
On running:
You just gotta be smart when you get in the open field. It’s not really my strong suit, I would say, so I try to get down quickly.
On the NFC Championship:
Just watching that film, you feel the emotions. Bosa talked about it the other day. film is silent but watching it you go back to that emotional state.
On whether he pays attention to criticism of smiling and lip reading:
Not really, if I’m being completely honest. I get a kick out of it, really. You’re always going to be criticized.
On the defense:
I was 14-9 and it’s not that we relaxed on offense, but you feel so confident in the defense. I don’t see a lot of plays but the plays I do see, it’s hell on a quarterback.
NICK BOSA
On a feel for a big game:
We always want that big night, six sacks (by the d-line), but we just try to focus on effort, doing our job and executing our assignments.
On Hufanga’s touchdown:
We knew it would take a big play like that and no better time for Huf to make that play. We try to reiterate that over and over, because that’s how you win … I was going to go clear the way for him but I was a little tired.
On the defense’s ceiling:
I think it’s best in the league. That’s kind of our mindset every year and this year we have the personnel to do it. Not that we haven’t in the past, but at all three levels, it’s elite players.
On speaking about the NFC Championship to his teammates:
I just watched it for the first time this week and watched how our effort was at a different level. And it’s kind of hard to recreate that playoff effort in a regular-season game. No matter how hard you try, it seems the playoffs just bring it out of you but I think with the effort tonight against this team, we were able to kind of bring that out.
On Hufanga:
Smart and incredible blitzer. He can do anything on the field. His mind is his biggest asset.
On sacks:
I’m still leaving a few out there. One game at a time and when you have a lot of guys around you producing, it’s a lot easier on you.
