The San Francisco 49ers announced themselves as the class of the NFC West in the opening weekend. Brock Purdy threw for 328 yards and three touchdowns, Christian McCaffrey looked like his 2023 self, and San Francisco blew out the Los Angeles Rams 38-14 at Levi’s Stadium.
Purdy took full advantage of a Rams pass defense that was rebuilt over the summer. Kyle Shanahan called a masterful game, using motion and formation variance to isolate Rams cornerbacks in coverage against Deebo Samuel, Ricky Pearsall, and rookie Jayden Higgins.
McCaffrey carried 22 times for 118 yards and a touchdown, and added five catches for 61 yards. He looked healthy, explosive, and comfortable, which is the version of McCaffrey that turns the 49ers into a Super Bowl favorite.
Los Angeles was without Aaron Donald, who was ruled out on Saturday with what the team called a soft-tissue concern from his comeback ramp-up. His absence was felt on every drive. San Francisco averaged 5.9 yards per rush and picked up 15 first downs on early downs alone.
Matthew Stafford threw for 224 yards and an interception. The picks came on a Fred Warner blitz that Stafford never saw, and the Rams offense stalled the rest of the way. Puka Nacua was held to 48 yards on five catches, one of his quietest games in two seasons.
The 49ers defense looked completely reloaded. Nick Bosa had two sacks. Second-year linebacker Dee Winters filled the middle of the field. And the secondary, led by Deommodore Lenoir, took away every downfield look the Rams tried to run.
San Francisco has one goal this season, and everyone in the building says it out loud. The Super Bowl loss two years ago to Kansas City still stings, and every roster move this offseason was built around getting back to a February in New Orleans.
Purdy is quietly building an MVP case again. He avoids the massive mistake, he takes what defenses give him, and he throws one of the prettiest deep balls in football. Sunday looked like a warning shot to the rest of the NFC.
Los Angeles hosts the Titans next week and will need Donald if the Rams want to compete in a division that just got a lot tougher. If they cannot get him back on the field, the season starts to look very different very quickly.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.