By kickoff at SoFi Stadium, the Los Angeles Rams had climbed to 8.5-point favorites over the San Francisco 49ers—a line that ballooned throughout the week as injuries piled up for Kyle Shanahan's squad. With key players like quarterback Brock Purdy, receiver Ricky Pearsall, and wideout Jauan Jennings sidelined, few believed the 49ers could pull off the upset.

Instead, San Francisco silenced its doubters with a dramatic 26-23 overtime win.


One person who took the underdog narrative personally was head coach Kyle Shanahan.

After the game, quarterback Mac Jones—starting in place of the injured Purdy—revealed just how much the betting line fueled his coach.

"Kyle came up to me, and he was pissed about it," Jones said of the 49ers' underdog status. "He's like, 'Dude, I can't believe they moved us to like underdogs again,' or whatever—'more.'"

Jones admitted he didn't even know the full details of the spread, but played along to match Shanahan's intensity.

"[I was] like, 'Yeah, let's go kill them,'" Jones said, laughing. "He was pissed about it. I was like, 'Yeah, I'm pissed, too.'"


Shanahan's fire clearly rubbed off, as the 49ers responded with grit and determination.

"I can't say enough about the guys," Shanahan said. "They were unbelievable. ... We've been in tight ones all [season]. How many have we had? All five of them. Had a chance to pull [one] out last week. We didn't. But pulled this one out, and can't be more proud of the guys."

The betting line was understandable, given San Francisco's rash of injuries. The Rams looked primed to exploit a shorthanded roster. But wide receiver Kendrick Bourne credited the 49ers' veteran leadership and depth for keeping the team steady.

"Everybody has their opinion, and they have their rights to it," Bourne said. "I think it's just huge by Kyle and them, having [WR Demarcus Robinson] and older guys, [WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling], guys that have experience in the game.

"And the depth we have, it shows. And it's important for the NFL because, shoot, guys are banged up now, you don't know what's going to happen next week. Everything's different. So, just having depth has been important."


Like Jones, running back Christian McCaffrey said he doesn't pay attention to the odds. But he emphasized his faith in the 49ers' roster and its resilience.

"I love the character of this team," McCaffrey said. "It's hard. When you've got guys who are changing positions on a short week, and having to learn an offense, and they just showed up a couple weeks ago, that's not easy. You've got a quarterback who's fighting through some stuff and also getting the nod on Monday in a short week.

"There's so many things that happen in this league, and I always say the NFL is like the best reality show, because there's so many different things that happen throughout a week. It makes it so entertaining.

"But for us players, man, it's just, you go out there and you give it your all, and whatever happens, happens. And when you're on a team like this, with this kind of character, it makes it a lot of fun."

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