Rams-49ers matchup in All-NFC West conference championship game
Jan 23, 2022, 7:30 PM
The Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers will meet in the first NFC West-only conference championship game since the 2013 season.
The 49ers fell 23-17 to the Seattle Seahawks that year after cornerback Richard Sherman made the game-winning pass deflection to close it out.
San Francisco got past the Green Bay Packers to get there back then and did so again on Saturday 13-10. This is the 49ers’ fifth NFC title game appearance in 11 seasons.
Los Angeles is back for the second time in four years after holding on for dear life against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30-27 on Sunday.
The Rams led 20-3 at halftime and 27-3 in the second half before losing the lead in the final minute of the fourth quarter.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford then hit wide receiver Cooper Kupp for 20-yard and 44-yard gains to set up the game-winning 30-yard field goal by kicker Matt Gay.
The 49ers also won via a last-second field goal.
The NFC West was the only division with three playoff teams this season. Forty wins came from the division, which was the most in the NFL.
The Arizona Cardinals went 11-6 but fell to Los Angeles in the Wild Card round last week 34-11.
Arizona finished second in the division behind L.A. and ahead of San Francisco. The Cardinals went 3-1 against those two in the regular season.
The 49ers swept Los Angeles in their two regular-season matchups. Their most recent win was in Week 17, a game the 49ers needed to clinch a playoff spot.
The Rams went up 17-0 and could have eliminated the 49ers, but San Francisco came back for an overtime victory that eventually set up this NFC Championship game.
If the Rams win, they would get a home game for the Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium.
