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San Francisco rediscovers its roots and triumph

The San Francisco 49ers they had not worn like the defending NFC champions that they are. Until now.

Rediscovering the formula that got them to the Super Bowl last season, Jimmy Garoppolo throws three touchdown passes, Jason Verrett intercepts a pass in the end zone and the 49ers snap a two-game losing streak to beat the Los Angeles Rams 24-16 on Sunday.

Plagued by injuries in a poor start to the season, San Francisco (3-3) again battled on that front, losing running back Raheem Mostert in the second half., who reappeared precisely after a three-game absence. In the end it didn’t matter, the damage was done.

With a constant onslaught of runs and short passes, much like the one the 49ers rode on their unlikely road to the eve of the championship, San Francisco rode a 21-6 lead. Garoppolo’s improved state of health was evident from the first minutes of the match.

One week after completing just 7 of 17 for 77 yards and two interceptions in his comeback against Miami with a loss, Garoppolo completed his first four passes for 70 yards, the last seven on a short pass to Deebo Samuel for the touchdown.

They would never look back.

San Francisco’s defense dominated the first half by allowing only first five and ten and a touchdown on a 10-yard pass from Jared Goff to Robert Woods. That created the false promise that the Rams were prepared to bury San Francisco, it was not.

Los Angeles (4-2), which came into the game as the league’s fourth-best offense in yards, generated just 311 totals and Goff finished with 19 completions on 38 attempts for 198 yards. with two touchdown shipments. Darrell Henderson added another 88 yards on the ground, 48 of them in a series that turned the tide of the game.

The Rams approached the San Francisco 1-yard line early in the third quarter, but Henderson was stopped on second down., Cooper Kupp dropped a touchdown pass and on the next play, Verrett anticipated Goff’s delivery to Josh Reynolds and ended the threat with an interception.

San Francisco rode a 21-6 lead in the first half thanks to Garoppolo’s scoring connections with Samuel for six yards, 44 with George Kittle on a play in which the star tight end appeared all alone, and on a short two-yard pass with Brandon Aiyuk. The win is a lifeline for the 49ers who are starting a brutal part of their schedule, with games pending against the Patriots, Seahawks, Packers, Saints, Rams and Bills.

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