The Los Angeles Rams earned a 12-6 road win over rival San Francisco on Thursday night, moving Sean McVay’s club closer to the postseason while all but eliminating the Niners’ playoff chances.

The Rams turned a 1-4 start to the season into an 8-6 record, a half-game behind Seattle and the NFC West lead, with their seventh win in nine weeks. It was the first time since 2018 that LA beat the 49ers and gave the Rams a three-game winning streak against their rivals.

“Being able to do that, knowing how good they are as a team and knowing the history of the two organizations is great,” Kyren Williams said, via the Los Angeles Times. “And it shows that we are big brothers now.”

Big Brother didn’t exactly have a stellar game in the pouring rain as both teams struggled to move the ball. The clubs combined for ten punts and two field goals in two quarters.

The Rams’ offense woke up as the rain eased in the second half, with Williams doing most of the heavy lifting. The running back recorded 108 rush yards on 29 carries in the game without a touchdown. Combined with Sunday’s 29 totes in the win over Buffalo, Williams carried the rock 58 times in four days.

It was the first game in 2024 without a touchdown scored, the second-fewest points in a game (Tennessee-Jacksonville 16 in Week 14) and 25 combined first downs, the fewest in a contest this season. The 12 points were the fewest for the Rams in a win since Week 10, 2016 (win against the NY Jets 9-6).

“It’s good for us that there are different ways to win a football game,” McVay said. “We would love to bring it all together, but being able to do that is a real strength.”

The Rams’ three-game winning streak against San Francisco comes after the Niners have won nine of the last 10 meetings.

Thursday marked the first game of McVay’s career that the Rams won without scoring a touchdown (previously 0-7 in such games, including playoffs). It was also the first game of Kyle Shanahan’s career that the 49ers lost without allowing a touchdown (previously 8-0).

Given that the clubs combined for 82 points in their games on Sunday, the low score was surprising. But it was the Rams’ defense that made the big stops late and secured the big division win.

“Our team has shown that we can win football games in any way possible in about four days,” said Matthew Stafford. “…You scored 44 points four nights ago or whatever it was, and then you come here and score 12 points. Both count as one.”

The win puts pressure on Seattle to keep pace on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers. A Seahawks loss gives the Rams the lead. LA ends the season with games against the Jets, Cardinals and Seahawks.

“You can just feel the momentum,” tight end Colby Parkinson said. “You can feel the team coming together a little more every week and we are peaking at the right time. That’s exactly what we want.”