The perfect way to cap off a dominant defensive performance is with a last-second, goal line stand to win the game. That's exactly what the Rams did, Sunday.
St. Louis' front seven tortured San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick all day, recording eight sacks. Despite a horrendous offensive line performance, the 49ers still had a chance to come away with a victory.
Starting at their own 12 yard line with 3:11 left in the game and down by a field goal, Kaepernick slowly marched his team down the field. After a defensive pass interference penalty put them inside the Rams' five, the 49ers had four chances to score a go-ahead touchdown.
San Francisco called three straight pass plays in an attempt to win the game and not use much of the clock. On their fourth play, at the Rams' one yard line, San Francisco tried a QB sneak (the highest quality GIF I've ever seen, via @SideLeague):
The 49ers assumed Kaepernick crossed the goal line and scored the go-ahead touchdown. Meanwhile, James Laurinaitis snuck underneath the pile and took the ball away from him, securing an upset victory for the Rams.
Whitner, Browns Stay Winning
Everybody is making a big deal about that one guy's return to Northeast Ohio, but Donte Whitner's homecoming deserves some recognition too.
The Glenville High School grad signed with his hometown team in the offseason, and, in his last two games, created key turnovers to help the Browns improve to 5-3. Last week, Whitner earned our "play of the week" by forcing a fumble in the third quarter.
This week, Joe Haden returned the favor by tipping a pass towards Whitner, who returned it 54 yards and deep into Tampa Bay territory (via @cjzero):
Play of the Week
At 7-1 on the season, Arizona holds the NFL's best record and sits two games ahead of the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks in the NFC West.
Ted Ginn singlehandedly won their week two matchup against the Giants with a punt return for a touchdown, but hasn't made an impact since. He's been especially quiet in as a receiver – coming into Sunday, he only had four receptions this season.
In what was a critical game before we found out the Cowboys had to start Brandon Weeden, Ginn made this beautiful catch along the sidelines during a game-sealing, fourth-quarter touchdown drive (via @therealfanatix):
How They Fared in Week Nine
| Player | team | position | stats/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Adams | Pittsburgh Steelers | OT | Rampant dirty play throughout Steelers-Ravens game |
| Will Allen | Pittsburgh Steelers | S | Replaced injured Troy Polamalu, 5 tackles, 1 QB hit in win |
| Alex Boone | San Francisco 49ers | OL | 49ers allowed eight sacks in loss to Rams, Boone was of little help |
| Philly Brown | Carolina Panthers | WR/KR/PR | Inactive, Thursday, due to concussion, watched OSU play Illinois |
| Chimdi Chekwa | Oakland Raiders | CB | Inactive in loss to Seahawks due to hamstring injury |
| Kurt Coleman | Kansas City Chiefs | S | 1 tackle, 1 pass defended in win over Jets |
| Nate Ebner | New England Patriots | DB/ST | Healthy and active on special teams in win over Broncos |
| Ted Ginn Jr. | Arizona Cardinals | WR | 2 receptions, 42 yards, one hell of a catch in win over Cowboys |
| Johnathan Hankins | New York Giants | DT | No. 4 DT in run stop percentage, plays tonight vs Colts |
| Brian Hartline | Miami Dolphins | WR | 5 receptions, 50 yards, No. 8 on Phins all-time reception list |
| A.J. Hawk | Green Bay Packers | LB | Chronicled his bye week plans for MMQB.com |
| Boom Herron | Indianapolis Colts | RB | Plays tonight vs Giants |
| Cameron Heyward | Pittsburgh Steelers | DE | 2 tackles, 1 QB hit in divisional win, Sunday night |
| Santonio Holmes | Chicago Bears | WR | Bears on bye, Devin Smith about to pass Holmes in career TDs |
| Carlos Hyde | San Francisco 49ers | RB | 2 carries, 17 yards, 1 reception 5 yards in loss to Rams |
| Malcolm Jenkins | Philadelphia Eagles | S | 2 tackles, 1 pass defended, not fond of Texans' field in win |
| James Laurinaitis | St. Louis Rams | LB | 6 tackles, 1 sack, game-winning fumble recovery in win |
| Corey Linsley | Green Bay Packers | C | Spent bye week in Columbus, dining with Kirk Barton |
| Nick Mangold | New York Jets | C | Jets season is a disaster, Matt Simms is now their QB |
| Jake McQuaide | St. Louis Rams | LS | Rams kick 2 field goals in close win over San Francisco |
| Jack Mewhort | Indianapolis Colts | OL | Plays tonight in New York |
| Andrew Norwell | Carolina Panthers | OL | Panthers offense sputtered in Thursday's loss to Saints |
| Mike Nugent | Cincinnati Bengals | K | 1 field goal, 4 extra points in win over Jaguars |
| Ryan Pickett | Houston Texans | DT | 1 tackle in loss to Mark Sanchez's Philadelphia Eagles |
| DeVier Posey | Houston Texans | WR | Inactive again in loss, still hasn't played this year |
| Bradley Roby | Denver Broncos | CB | 2 tackles, 2 passes defended, 1 INT in loss to New England |
| Dane Sanzenbacher | Cincinnati Bengals | WR | Inactive in win over Jaguars |
| Ryan Shazier | Pittsburgh Steelers | LB | 2 tackles but left game early due to ankle sprain |
| John Simon | Houston Texans | LB | 2 tackles, 1 pass defended, half-sack, left with ankle injury |
| Rob Sims | Detroit Lions | OG | Detroit on bye after playing in London |
| Donte Whitner | Cleveland Browns | S | 8 tackles, 1 interception in win over Bucs |
