1. DeMeco Ryans is due for a promotion. It appears the defensive coordinator isn't long for
San Francisco because of how effective his unit has been in the first month of the season,
and Monday night stands as his best showing yet. Ryans capitalized on a weakened Rams offensive line by dialing up plenty of pressure with a variety of attacks,
overwhelming the undermanned Rams to the tune of seven sacks. Ryans' defense reduced
the Los Angeles offense to rubble, limiting the Rams to 257 total yards and keeping them out of the end zone entirely.
2. The Rams' offense is in shambles. Widely seen as an offensive genius,
Sean McVay hasn't found an answer for Los Angeles' struggles with the football.
The offensive line has been decimated by injuries to the point Matthew Stafford chose to throw to Cooper Kupp --
his only trusted target -- in double coverage on a crucial third-and-10 instead of waiting one more beat to look to Allen Robinson,
3. Deebo Samuel is back to his old self. He never truly left, but after the 49ers failed to do anything of note just a week ago,
they took their second straight prime-time game and ran with it.
Samuel did so literally, catching a short pass from Garoppolo (which was nearly intercepted), then becoming a tackle-breaking,
nightmare-inducing machine, barreling down the field like a runaway 18-wheeler with a convoy of blockers coming along for the ride.
The yards-after-catch total on that play was 52, boosting Garoppolo's final line on a night in which Kyle Shanahan wisely
relied on a short passing game and let the targets do the dirty work. Samuel had plenty to show for it,
finishing with six catches for 115 yards and a touchdown. As Garoppolo said afterward, the YAC Bros. are back.
4. This is a Talanoa Hufanga appreciation point. We mentioned him in the first point tonight, but Hufanga has earned his own note.