The Los Angeles Rams defeated the San Francisco 49ers 12-6 in a rain-marred game to boost their NFL playoff hopes.

With the game tied 6-6 in the fourth quarter, rookie kicker Joshua Karty hit a 27-yard field goal to give the Rams a three-point lead.

Karty then capped a final drive with his fourth field goal with 18 seconds left.

“This team can win in a variety of ways,” Rams coach Sean McVay said.

Neither team scored a touchdown at a drenched Levi’s Stadium in California on Thursday – the first game without a touchdown of the 2024 season.

McVay added: “I thought the defense kept coming up big.”

San Francisco opened the scoring in the first quarter with a 53-yard field goal from Jake Moody before adding to its tally early in the third quarter to give the 49ers a 6-3 lead.

But with the game tied midway through the third quarter, Niners wide receiver Deebo Samuel, who had recently complained on social media about not getting enough of the ball, dropped him on a crucial play, prompting boos from the home crowd audience led.

The defeat was the eighth in 14 games for last season’s defeated Super Bowl finalists, another blow to their already slim playoff chances.

While San Francisco is struggling, the Rams have a record of 8-6 on the season so far.