49ers–Rams rivalry

49ers–Rams rivalry

San Francisco 49ers Los Angeles Rams
First meeting	October 1, 1950 Kezar Stadium San Francisco, California Los Angeles Rams 35, San Francisco 49ers 14
Latest meeting	September 12, 2016 Levi's Stadium Santa Clara, California San Francisco 49ers 28, Los Angeles Rams 0
Next meeting	December 24, 2016
Statistics
Meetings total	134 meetings
All-time series	49ers lead 67–64–3
Postseason results	49ers lead 1–0 January 14, 1990: 49ers 30, Rams 3
Largest victory	Los Angeles Rams 56–7 (1958) San Francisco 49ers 48–0 (1987)
Longest win streak	49ers: 17 wins (1990–98) Rams: 10 wins (1970–75)
Current win streak	49ers: 2 wins (2015–present)

The 49ers–Rams rivalry began in 1950 and became one of the most intense in the National Football League in the 1970s as the two California based teams regularly competed for the NFL's NFC West Division title. The intensity of the rivalry is due to the fact that the cities of San Francisco and Los Angeles have long been competitors in the economic, cultural, and political arenas. After the Rams' move to St. Louis in 1995, the rivalry had lost its geographical lore though games were still intense regardless of the standings. The cultural differences between the West Coast (where the 49ers are based) and Midwest (where the Rams were based) also added to the intensity of the rivalry, until the Rams moved back to Los Angeles in 2016. Sports Illustrated considers their rivalry the 8th best of all time in the National Football League.^[1]

History

In 1950, the National Football League merged with the All-America Football Conference thus gaining three new teams. One of these teams was the San Francisco 49ers making them the second NFL franchise located on the West Coast. The first one being the Los Angeles Rams who had re-located from Cleveland in 1946. The NFL placed both of them in the newly formed National Conference (1950–52) guaranteeing that they would play each other twice during the regular season. In 1953, the National Conference was renamed the Western Conference and the American Conference was renamed the Eastern Conference which remained in place until the AFL merger forced re-alignment in 1970. For the 1967, 1968 and 1969 seasons immediately preceding the 1970 re-alignment, now with 16 franchises, the NFL divided the Western and Eastern Conferences into two Divisions of four teams each. Ironically, very similar to the present day conferences resulting from the 2002 re-alignment. The 49ers and Rams remained together in the Coastal Division of the Western Conference (1967–1969) and then in the NFC West Division since 1970. Owing to the strength of their rivalry, the 49ers and Rams have remained in place as the only two teams in the NFC West Division continuously since 1970, despite the Rams re-location to Saint Louis in 1995 and further re-alignment in 2002. They have met twice every season beginning in 1950. Their lone postseason meeting was in the NFC Championship Game during the playoffs following the 1989 season at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. This resulted in a 30–3 victory by the 49ers on January 14, 1990 immediately preceding their fourth Super Bowl appearance.

1950s

The first meeting between the teams took place on October 1, 1950 at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco. The Rams were alternating starting quarterbacks between Bob Waterfield and Norm Van Brocklin during the 1950 season. Waterfield was the starter for the game, but during the second quarter San Francisco's Pete Wissman landed a hard tackle on the Los Angeles quarterback. Van Brocklin filled in for Waterfield, and the Rams went on to win the game 35–14.^[2] The two teams played each other again on November 5, 1950 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles. After beating the Baltimore Colts 70–21 and the Detroit Lions 65–24, the Rams were favored to beat the 49ers by 20 points. Yet, the 49ers played a very physical game and only lost by a touchdown holding the Rams offensive powerhouse to only 28 points.^[3]

The 49ers got their first win against the Rams on October 28, 1951. The 49er secondary was able to pick off Van Brocklin six times, more than half of the interceptions that he threw all season. The 49ers held the Rams to just 17 points, the lowest they put up all season and were able to capitalize on the turnovers en route to a 44–17 victory.

1970s

The rivalry was at its pinnacle during the 1970s. From 1970–79 one of the two teams won the NFC's West Division. The decade also featured a ten and eight game win streak by the Rams (the eight game streak was the latter of the two and stretched into the early 1980s). The 49ers were the NFC West's top team in the beginning of the decade winning the first three post merger division crowns. The Rams answered right back winning seven straight division crowns from 1973–79, culminating with Super Bowl XIV loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

1980s

On January 2, 1983, a 1–7 Rams team met the 3–5 defending Super Bowl champion 49ers in San Francisco for the last game of the 1982 season (a players' strike shortened the season to 9 games), with the 49ers needing a win to make the playoffs. The Rams led late in the 4th quarter 21–20 until 49er quarterback Joe Montana led one of his patented two-minute drives, putting the 49ers in position for a short field goal. But Ivory Sully blocked Ray Wersching's kick to preserve a 21–20 win and knock the 49ers out of the playoffs.^[4]

On January 14, 1990 the two teams met in the 1989 NFC Championship game. The Rams were heavy underdogs but had already pulled off two upsets on the road in the playoffs (over the Eagles and Giants). The Rams took a 3–0 early lead and were driving again, but Rams quarterback Jim Everett noticed a wide open Flipper Anderson a second too late and the pass was knocked away by 49er safety Ronnie Lott. Instead of a 10–0 Rams lead, Montana led the 49ers on a touchdown drive and San Francisco took the lead 7–3. The 49ers would win the game 30–3.

1990s

The 49ers dominated the rivalry during the 1990s winning seventeen straight games against the Rams. After nearly fifty years, it seemed like the rivalry was coming to an end when the Rams relocated to St. Louis, Missouri. Yet, some players did not believe so. Roger Craig stated in Tales from the San Francisco 49ers Sideline that "the Rams will always be the 49ers' biggest rival. It doesn't matter if they no longer play in Los Angeles. If the Rams played their home games on Mars, it would still be a rivalry."^[5]

2000s

The Rams and their Greatest Show on Turf offense had the upper hand in the early part of the decade. But both teams fell into decline and neither team was a playoff contender as the decade wore on. The 49ers had the upper hand during the latter part of the decade, going 8–2 from the 2005 season to the end of the decade.

2010s

Until 2015, the Rams (the 49ers rival) was based in St. Louis, Missouri. After the NFL and owners approved their move to Los Angeles 30–2 on January 12, 2016, the rivalry became West Coast based once again and making it a Bay Area–Los Angeles rivalry again (similar to the Dodgers–Giants rivalry, the California Clasico, and other Bay Area–LA rivalries).

Game results

1950s (Rams 12–7–1)

1960s (Rams 10–9–1)

1970s (Rams 17–3)

1980s (49ers 13–8)

1990s (49ers 17–3)

2000s (Tied 10–10)

2010s (49ers 8–4–1)

See also

• Dodgers–Giants rivalry
• Sports in California#Northern California – Southern California rivalry

References

General

• 49ers vs Rams Results
• Craig, Roger; Bill Walsh; and Matt Maiocco (2004). Roger Craig's Tales from the San Francisco 49ers Sideline. Sports Publishing LLC. ISBN 1-58261-307-9. 
• Hession, Joseph (1986). The Rams: Five Decades of Football. Foghorn Press. ISBN 0-935701-40-0. 
• Hunstein, Jim (2000). How 'Bout Them Rams; A Guide to Rams Football History. Palmerston & Reed. ISBN 0-911921-62-1. 

Specific