Fred Warner chose a particularly unforgiving verb for what happened to the Rams in Melbourne.
“I think it was definitely a matter of us feeling like we got stronger as the game went on,” Warner said after the 49ers’ 27-7 victory. “The opposing team, it felt like they kind of withered away.”
For one quarter, Los Angeles looked capable of making that description sound like postgame bravado. The Rams took a 7-3 lead into the second quarter, briefly resembling the Super Bowl favorite and supposed super team that had flown across the Pacific.
Then the game slipped away from them, gradually at first and all at once after halftime.
Demarcus Robinson’s touchdown catch gave San Francisco a 10-7 lead at the break. The most revealing sequence followed in the third quarter, when the Rams reached the doorstep of the end zone and were turned away on four consecutive goal-to-go plays.
On fourth down, Matthew Stafford tried to burrow across the line himself. Warner met him at the point of attack and helped ensure he went nowhere.
Los Angeles never scored again.
San Francisco owned the second half 17-0, handing the Rams their first double-digit defeat since 2024. Their seven points were also the fewest they have scored in any game started by Stafford.
The decline was particularly visible on third down, where Los Angeles converted only 2 of 9 opportunities. San Francisco repeatedly used motion and misdirection to stretch the defense before attacking Quentin Lake and the Rams’ second level over the middle.
The offense deteriorated along with the defense. While trailing by no more than eight points, the Rams averaged plus-0.095 expected points added per play. Once the deficit reached 17, that number cratered to minus-0.623 over their final 20 snaps.
It was not merely the predictable result of abandoning the run while attempting to narrow the lead. Los Angeles still handed the ball off eight times during that stretch, but its rushing average fell from 5.14 yards per carry while the score was close to 3.33 as the game pulled away. Passing offered no rescue.
Warner, returning after an 11-month absence caused by a serious ankle injury, embodied the difference. He collected 11 tackles, helped produce the goal-line stand and forced a fourth-quarter fumble as the 49ers appeared to gather force.
That inevitably returned attention to the teams’ contrasting travel plans. San Francisco spent a week acclimating in Melbourne, while the Rams landed approximately 28 hours before kickoff under an unusual strategy intended to preserve their internal clocks.
Warner credited the 49ers’ plan. Sean McVay refused to blame his own, insisting the itinerary was not why Los Angeles played poorly and accepting responsibility for his preparation.
Jet lag cannot be located in a box score. The fade Warner described can be.
The Rams offered less resistance with each passing quarter until “withered away” sounded less like a taunt than an accurate account of the game.
