The San Francisco 49ers blew a 14-point lead in the second half on Sunday and lost to the rival Los Angeles Rams, 27-24, on a field goal in the final seconds at SoFi Stadium.
The loss dropped the 49ers, who are missing a number of key players, to 1–2 on the season. They were almost able hold off the Rams but a late drop by wide receiver Ronnie Bell that would have put them in field goal position with just over one minute remaining in a tie game played a big role in letting Los Angeles get the wild victory.
Here's the play:
Bad drop by Ronnie Bell pic.twitter.com/ed7caCLv3m
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) September 22, 2024
The 49ers punted the ball away two plays later, and shortly after that, the Rams kicked the game-winning field goal.
Brock Purdy—who was without Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey—had a classy message after the game for his young wide receiver.
"He had a double move and that was the look he wanted and he got his guy and by the time I got to him I think I was just trying to give him a chance, and I don’t think I had enough juice on it from where I was in the pocket," Purdy said. "Obviously I think I could have given him a better ball but he’s a young guy and I love him. We’ve all got Ronnie’s back so we’re going to continue to need him and build him up and we’re all in this together.
"This is a team sport. So it’s not one play here or there, it’s all of them put together."
We all got Ronnie's back."
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) September 23, 2024
Purdy believes he could have given Bell a better ball on his late drop pic.twitter.com/MAMNDtnu3C
Purdy had three touchdown passes in what was his best game of the season so far. He'll look to lead the 49ers to a bounce-back win in Week 4 when they host the 1–2 New England Patriots.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Brock Purdy Had Classy Message for 49ers WR Ronnie Bell After Brutal Drop Late in Loss.