Four days after the Rams’ best win of the season came their ugliest.

No touchdowns. A first quarter with four punts and zero first downs. A few supposed interceptions that fell out of the hands of the San Francisco defenders.

But strangely, the plodding 12-6 win over the 49ers might end up being far more valuable than the eye-catching 44-42 triumph over Buffalo last Sunday.

Of course, beating San Francisco carries more weight because the 49ers are an NFC West opponent, but it’s more than that. The Rams had to know they were in slop, with failures on offense and on a field which they have suffered so many bitter defeats, can win.

Take it from Cooper Kupp, the All-Pro receiver who didn’t have a catch on a night full of slap-on-the-forehead stats. This is almost unimaginable.

“Games like this create belief,” Kupp said. “The best teams in this league have it, the worst teams don’t. The Kansas City Chiefs are confident they will win in close games. Then there are teams that also find ways to lose these games. That’s kind of a change in mindset that you need, a positive belief that you’re going to find a way to win.”

Read more: The Rams take a big step toward the playoffs by winning the field goal battle and defeating the 49ers

Big wins come in small packages. This was the first time in 152 meetings between these franchises that neither team scored a touchdown.

It’s also the first time in five seasons that the Rams strolled away with a flourish.

“It means everything,” Rams running back Kyren Williams said of falling the NFC West face-off twice in one season. “On the way here our pilot said, ‘Go sweep the Niners.’ And when he said that, I thought, ‘Damn, we could really beat the Niners.’ I don’t think I’ve done that since I’ve been here. Being able to do that, knowing how good the team is and knowing the history of these two organizations is huge.

“It shows that we are big brothers now.”

Another big brother is watching. By that I mean Seattle. The Seahawks, at 8-5, can regain a one-game lead over the Rams by beating Green Bay on Sunday night. That’s no easy task, as the Packers have won seven of nine games and narrowly lost to Detroit in a 34-31 thriller last Sunday.

There is no easy path for the Seahawks. Their final three games are at home against Minnesota, in Chicago and finally at the Rams, who they have already defeated on their home field.

The NFC West remains the most tightly knotted division from top to bottom, but the dimmer switch is quickly turning in the wrong direction for San Francisco and Arizona.

These games are about faith and finding a way to stay relevant. The Rams did just that, recovering from a 1-4 start to win seven of their last nine games.

“This is what you work so hard for,” quarterback Matthew Stafford said. “I just think back to all the OTAs, all the training camp days in August, all the injuries and issues early in the season and the things you have to overcome to give yourself a chance to play meaningful football that month. “ .”

Remember, he played 12 seasons for the Lions, going 0-3 on the road in three playoff games. It wasn’t until he got to Los Angeles that he experienced real postseason success.

“In my career I’ve had…quite a few December months where you’re just trying to play good football for the sake of playing good football,” he said. “We have an opportunity to keep our season alive every time we go out to play. It’s a lot of fun. Our team has shown that we can win football games in any way possible within four days.”

Read more: The Rams beat the 49ers. Kyren Williams’ performance is always crucial and the defense is stepping up

Was this an ugly game for the Rams? Depends on how you look at it. Defensively it was a gem. The 49ers’ 191 yards were the second fewest in the Kyle Shanahan era. San Francisco converted 25% of its third downs (three of 12), and the rain-soaked crowd rarely had anything to cheer about.

Rams kicker Joshua Karty, who struggled with consistency in his rookie season, made all four of his field goal attempts in the sloppy conditions.

The Rams didn’t have an overwhelming ground game, but they kept hitting. No one embodied this better than Williams, who scored a career-best 29 runs against Buffalo and did it again four days later against the 49ers. That’s like a pitcher going nine innings in consecutive games.

For the first time in his career, he took off his gloves to get a better grip on the slippery football.

With three games left to play, the gloves are off for all the Rams. They’ve defeated their biggest nemesis and are starting to believe they’ll have success this season.

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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.