Rams must figure out 4th quarter woes if they have any hope in beating 49ers

LA has 3rd-worst point differential in the final quarter this season

Through the seven games before their bye, the Los Angeles Rams hadn’t displayed the dominance or consistency that was so apparent during their Super Bowl run.

The main culprit: collapsing in the final quarter. LA hasn’t been able to come up clutch when they’ve needed to in the game’s most crucial moments.

For the season, the Rams have only scored a measly 10 points in the fourth quarter compared to the 47 they’ve given up to their opponents. This is an illustration of how unkind the final quarter has been to LA:

Bills: LA outscored 14-0

Falcons: LA outscored 17-3

Cardinals: LA outscored 3-0

49ers: LA outscored 10-0

Cowboys: LA outscored 3-0

Panthers: Carolina outscored 7-0

In the season opener, the Bills were only up 17-10 before they broke the game open. The following week, LA almost blew a 25-point lead as they inexcusably allowed the Falcons to nearly break their 28-3 curse. During the week four matchup against the 49ers, the Rams were within one-possession until a backbreaking Matthew Stafford interception ended any hopes of a game-winning drive.

Stafford was already quite turnover-prone this season but even more so with the game on the line. For comparison, this is how he fared in similar conditions in 2021:

So far in this campaign, Matt has four interceptions compared to zero touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Stafford’s interceptions haven’t been the sole issue with the Rams in crunch time but they’ve played a major role in them.

If Los Angeles has any hope of beating a team they’ve only defeated once since the 2019 season, they must improve in the fourth quarter. The bye week hopefully has given them renewed faith in that things can turn around quickly.

What better way to start than against a bitter rival?