Ronnie Bell’s drop contributed to the San Francisco 49ers stunning collapse defeat to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, but quarterback Brock Purdy has the receiver’s back
Brock Purdy insisted he could have thrown a “better ball” after receiver Ronnie Bell dropped a crucial pass late in the San Francisco 49ers’ loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
On Sunday night, the 49ers slipped to a disappointing 27-24 defeat to the Rams. Sean McVay’s injury-ravaged team fell behind San Francisco by 14 points in the second half and remained down by double digits in the fourth quarter – but the Rams matched their franchise’s biggest second-half comeback victory since 2006.
It is also LA’s second straight win over the 49ers after losing nine of the NFC West rivals’ previous 10 meetings. The Rams rode a late charge to turn the game around, but one play sticks out in the mind of 49ers fans following the gut-wrenching defeat.
It is also LA’s second straight win over the 49ers after losing nine of the NFC West rivals’ previous 10 meetings. The Rams rode a late charge to turn the game around, but one play sticks out in the mind of 49ers fans following the gut-wrenching defeat.
Had the play been completed, the 49ers would have been in field goal range in a tied game late. But the dropped pass forced the 49ers to punt the ball back to the Rams, who took advantage of a 38-yard punt return from Xavier Smith and a 25-yard pass interference penalty on 49ers linebacker De’Vondre Campbell to seal the game via a 37-yard field goal from kicker Joshua Karty with five seconds remaining.
However, Purdy insisted he was at fault as the quarterback leaped to Bell’s defense following the game. He told reporters: “He had a double move, and that was the look we wanted and he got his guy. And by the time I got to him, I think I was just trying to give him a chance and I don’t know if I had had enough juice on it just from where I was at in the pocket. So just (trying) to give him a chance and obviously, I think I could still give him a better ball and everything.”
Purdy continued to build Bell up, adding: “He’s a young guy. I love him, man. And we all got Ronnie’s back, so we’re going to continue to need him and build him up and we’re all in this together, man. It’s a team sport, man. So it’s not one player, one play here. It’s all of them all put together.”
The 49ers offense has lost key personnel recently. Deebo Samuel is out with a calf injury, while tight end George Kittle missed out against the Rams with a hamstring issue. First-round rookie Ricky Pearsall is recovering from a shooting, leading to the likes of Jauan Jennings stepping up particularly as Brandon Aiyuk endured another quiet showing.