The script is familiar.
Fourth quarter or overtime. Rams trail or are tied. On comes Matthew Stafford.
The veteran quarterback is the master of comebacks.
And he appeared to be on the verge of doing it again on Thursday night against the rival San Francisco 49ers.
But the 49ers stopped running back Kyren Williams on a fourth-and-one play at the 49ers’ 11-yard line, sending the Rams to a 26-23 overtime defeat before 73,652 at SoFi Stadium.
After the game, Rams coach Sean McVay blamed himself on the failed fourth-down run, saying “it was a bad call by me.”
Stafford tossed two touchdown passes to Williams and another to Puka Nacua, but on a night when the Rams’ kicking woes continued, it was not enough to beat an injury-riddled opponent as the Rams fell to 3-2 and wasted an opportunity to take over first place in the NFC West.
Rams kicker Joshua Karty, who last year beat the 49ers with a winning field goal at SoFi Stadium, missed a long field-goal attempt and had an extra-point attempt blocked, the second time that has happened this season. His kickoff in overtime did not reach the landing zone, giving the 49ers the ball at the 40-yard line.
The 49ers improved to 4-1, including victories over the Rams, Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals in the NFC West.
Rams coach Sean McVay this week good-naturedly blamed his late grandfather John McVay for creating so many 49ers fans by helping assemble 49ers teams that won five Super Bowls.
And McVay and 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, his former mentor, have squared off for some classic matchups, including the NFC championship game at SoFi Stadium in January 2022.
But these were not the same 49ers — at least on paper.
With quarterback Brock Purdy receiving a massive extension before the season, the 49ers let go of numerous high-profile stars that helped the 49ers make two Super Bowl appearances in the last six years.
Even quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is now with the Rams.
The 49ers also came to SoFi Stadium with an injury-depleted roster.
Journeyman Mac Jones started in place of Purdy, who is nursing a toe injury. Tight end George Kittle, receivers Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings and star defensive end Nick Bosa also did not play.
But the 49ers still prevailed.
Mac Jones completed 33 of 49 passes for 342 yards and two touchdowns.
Christian McCaffrey caught eight passes for 82 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 57 yards in 22 carries.
The score was tied 23-23 at the end of regulation after the Rams blew a chance to win when Williams fumbled at the 49ers’ one-yard line – but then tied the score on Karty’s 48-yard field goal with two seconds left.
Piniero’s 41-yard field goal gave the 49ers the lead.
The Rams then drove from their 33 to the 49ers’ 11, where their hopes for a victory ended.
The Rams trailed 17-7 at halftime after Jones tossed two touchdown passes and Eddy Pineiro kicked a field goal as time expired in the second quarter.
The Rams appeared on the verge of being blown out when the 49ers went ahead 14-0, but Stafford engineered a scoring drive with eight straight pass attempts — including rookie tight end Terrance Ferguson’s first catch — and a 15-yard touchdown pass to Williams.
The Rams looked as if they would gain momentum when they moved downfield on the first possession of the second half. But Williams dropped a third-down pass, and Karty missed a 53-yard field-goal attempt.
The 49ers drove to the Rams’ one-yard line, but Jones’ third-down pass sailed through the end zone and the 49ers had to settle for Pineiro’s field goal and a 20-7 lead.
Stafford answered with a drive that included a 34-yard pass to Tutu Atwell and two passes to Nacua before Stafford hit Nacua on a one-yard touchdown pass that pulled the Rams to within seven points.
Isaac Guerendo appeared to fumble on the ensuing kickoff, but officials ruled that he had been stopped before he lost the ball.
After linebacker Nate Landman stopped McCaffrey for a loss on a third-and-one play at the start of the fourth quarter, Stafford went to work, directing the Rams on an 88-yard drive that he capped with another touchdown pass to Williams.
The 49ers, however, blocked the extra-point attempt, leaving the score tied 20-20.
The 49ers went three and out, but the Rams then did the same. But Ethan Evans’ 59-yard punt pinned the 49ers at their two-yard line.
Pineiro’s 59-yard field goal with just under three minutes left gave the 49ers a 23-20 lead.
That set the stage for Stafford, who completed passes to Nacua and Davante Adams before Williams broke off a 20-yard run to the 49ers 15-yard line. But Williams fumbled at the three-yard line.
The Rams then forced the 49ers to punt, and Karty’s 48-yard field goal with two seconds left sent the game into overtime.
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