Rams’ Kyren Williams Makes Bold Claim About 49ers After Thursday Night Football

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Kyren Williams #23 of the Los Angles Rams reacts after beating the Seattle Seahawks.

Kyren Williams and the Los Angeles Rams got a 12-6 win over the San Francisco 49ers, whose playoff chances are waning following the loss.

Williams played a key role in the victory, tallying over 100 yards for the third this season and the second time in the last three weeks. To add insult to injury, Williams believes the first season-sweep in 18 years stamps an official changing of the guard in their 75-year history.

Williams says the Rams are the “big brothers now.”

“Oh, that’s awesome you said that,” Williams told reporters on December 12 when asked how it felt to sweep the 49ers. “It means everything, honestly. Because literally on the way here, our pilot said, ‘Go sweep the Niners.’ And when he said that I was like, ‘Dang, we really could sweep the Niners.’ I don’t think I’ve done that since I’ve been here.’

“Being able to do that, knowing how good of a team they are and knowing the history with just the two organizations, I know it’s huge. And it shows that we’re the big brothers now.”

The Rams have now won three straight meetings against their NFC West rivals. The 49ers had won three straight before that, though. That streak is separated from another of six straight dating back to 2019 by one Rams win. San Francisco also leads the series 78-71-3 all-time.

The Rams still have bigger goals anyway.

Kyren Williams, Rams Draw Rave Reviews

The Rams are one win away from beating ESPN’s preseason projections for them from September. Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk remained high on the Rams’ postseason chances even after their Week 14 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Faulk said the Rams can be a “scary team” that others would not want to face in the playoffs.

“Where they sit currently, they’ve proven that they can go on winning streaks and they just have to continue to stack more wins and learn through the losses,” Faulk told RG.org’s DJ Siddiqi in an interview published on November 29.

“They can get hot like they did last year and be a scary team that you don’t want to face in the playoffs.”

“I believe that with Coach [Sean] McVay and his players and watching them play this season, it can easily happen as it can go the other way,” Faulk said. “If I had to pick and choose, looking at what I see this year and how they will respond after a loss, I look at this as a playoff-caliber team.”

Faulk noted that the Rams’ youth makes them unpredictable.

That includes projecting their postseason outlook. However, he insists the Rams have the “DNA to be a playoff team” this season. Following their win over the 49ers, they are in the driver’s seat of their playoff future.

In an interview with Siddiqi for SportsCasting published on December 12, former Rams offensive lineman Justin Pugh expressed his belief that they are built to do even more.

“I think the L.A. Rams win the NFC West,” Pugh told Siddiqi. “I think they’re one of those teams that if you sleep on them, they’re going to make a run. You’re going to see the L.A. Rams win their first playoff game. I do not want to play the L.A. Rams  — Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupper, Kyren Williams, Matthew Stafford, offensive line. They don’t really have much of a weakness and that’s a scary team to play. They have the pedigree — Matthew Stafford can make every throw on the field. If you get a quarterback playing lights out at this time of the year, good luck.”

Rams ‘Control Destiny’ in Push for Playoffs

McVay opened his postgame press conference by showing appreciation for his team’s resolve during a run that has seen the Rams win three straight games and four of their last five.

“What a job by our group tonight,” McVay told reporters on December 12. “So much respect for the 49ers, and I think what’s really cool is this team has found a bunch of different ways to be able to win football games.”

NFL Network’s Peter Schrager praised McVay and the Rams’ resolve and resilience.

“It was a tough game. Obviously, we didn’t start the way we wanted to on the offensive side of the ball. I thought our defense played fantastic, really, all night. It was just one of those games,” Stafford told NFL Network’s Omar Ruiz after the game. “ You could feel it early it was going to be a battle, it’s going to be a low-scorer. And just, we made up plays there at the end to win it.

“We gotta find a way to get better, obviously. It wasn’t great today. But we’re finding ways to win football games. Whether it’s scoring 44 last week in a shootout or leaning on our defense in the run game this week in the rain and finding a way to win, that’s what it’s all about in December.”

Williams, McVay, and the Rams face the New York Jets in Week 16