49ers conquer impossible odds, McVay streak in comeback win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
Sunday’s mission for the 49ers was simple: Beat the Los Angeles Rams, and San Francisco would be playoff bound for the second time in coach Kyle Shanahan’s five-year tenure on the sidelines.
Early on, though, it wasn’t looking promising.
San Francisco trailed 17-0 until veteran kicker Robbie Gould sailed a 42-yard field-goal attempt through the uprights in the final seconds of the first half.
At the break, San Francisco was getting outgained 149-to-83 and had just 10 yards rushing on five attempts. Los Angeles was also doubling the 49ers in time of possession.
To complete the comeback and extend their 2021 season, the 49ers had to find their game again and break a bit of NFL history along the way.
Behind 24-17 with two minutes to play and facing a third-and-9, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was sacked for a loss of nine yards. The 49ers were forced to punt.
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To win, San Francisco would need to force a three-and-out and burn all three timeouts, then drive down the field to score a touchdown and eventually beat the Rams in overtime. Next Gen Stats gave the 49ers a 0.4 percent chance of winning.
And, well, after that, everything fell in the 49ers’ favor in their 27-24 overtime victory.
The 0.4-percent clip was the lowest win probability for any team to emerge victorious since Next Gen Stats launched in 2016. Yes, even lower than the New England Patriots’ infamous rally from down 28-3 against the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI.
In addition to defeating Rams coach Sean McVay for the sixth consecutive time — dating back to a 20-7 victory in Week 6 of the 2019 season — the 49ers put another blemish on McVay’s coaching record.
Since he was hired as the Rams coach in 2017, McVay had a 45-0 record in games the Rams led at halftime.
He’s now 45-1.
“Gotta finish,” McVay said to reporters following the game.
The Rams entered today’s game 45-0 under Sean McVay when holding a lead at halftime.
The 49ers came back from a 17-3 halftime deficit and snapped that streak tonight.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) January 10, 2022
The 17-point deficit San Francisco overcame was the second-largest comeback of the 2021 NFL season. Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson conducted a 19-point comeback win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 5, a game which also went to overtime.
Sunday’s drama-filled victory was also the 49ers’ biggest come-from-behind win since they trailed Atlanta 17-0 in the 2012 NFC Championship game. Led by Colin Kaepernick and Frank Gore, San Francisco won that game 28-24 to advance to Super Bowl XLVII.
You can’t rule this team out.