SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) – What many expected to be a typical Thursday night snoozer between a couple of teams lacking star power turned into quite a thriller.
With Jared Goff and Todd Gurley leading a resurgent Rams offense, Brian Hoyer sparking what had been a dormant San Francisco attack and a few late special teams blunders that almost produced an epic comeback, the 41-39 win for Los Angeles over the 49ers was exciting to watch and exhausting for those involved.
“That takes a toll on you,” Rams coach Sean McVay said. “Just getting ready on a short week, and then that emotional up-and-down right there certainly wears you out. I know that I’ll sleep very well tonight.”
With the short week to recover and game plan, Thursday night games have often turned into duds. That wasn’t the case in this game as even the many imperfections couldn’t overshadow the drama in the NFL’s highest-scoring Thursday contest since Minnesota’s 46-36 Thanksgiving win over Dallas in 1998.
There was Goff connecting on big pass plays to Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods on a night he threw for 292 yards, including three touchdowns and no interceptions for the Rams (2-1).