Rams vs. 49ers 2017 live updates: Scores, highlights, and results from ‘Thursday Night Football’

The 49ers got their second big break of the final minutes with this excellent onside kick...

...but the Rams’ defense proved stout, and took over on downs with 1:50 remaining. It didn’t help San Francisco when this offensive pass interference penalty was called, taking the 49ers out of field goal range.

Rams 41, 49ers 39: Carlos Hyde punched in his second touchdown of the night on a 4th-and-goal from the 1 with 2:13 remaining, but the two-point conversion failed with this Brian Hoyer interception:

Fumble! The 49ers’ comeback hopes got a boost with this fumble on the kickoff return by Pharoh Cooper, giving San Francisco the ball, down 8 points with 5 minutes left.

Rams 41, 49ers 33: This offensive shootout saw Brian Hoyer pass the 300-yard mark on this drive, his first 300-yard game since Week 6 in 2016. The highlight was this 59-yard bomb to Pierre Garcon:

Rams 41, 49ers 26: Sammy Watkins went over 100 yards on the night, and scored his second touchdown, this one from 13 yards out, giving the Rams their second 40-point game in three weeks this season. The Rams scored over 30 points just once in all of 2016.

Unfortunately for the Rams, Watkins later left the game after getting evaluated for a concussion.

Rams 34, 49ers 26: We have our first missed extra point of Week 3, thanks to Robbie Gould. San Francisco is within eight instead of seven, after tight end Garrett Celek hauled in his first touchdown and second catch of the season.

Rams 34, 49ers 20: Don’t look know, but the Rams just might have an offense. Jared Goff was 6-for-6 for 60 yards on this drive, including a nifty one-yard slant to Sammy Watkins for LA’s fourth touchdown of the night.

Rams 27, 49ers 20: San Francisco pulled to within one score when Carlos Hyde punched it in on 4th-and-goal, completing a 75-yard drive highlighted by this incredible catch by Pierre Garcon, tiptoeing on the sideline:

Rams 27, 49ers 13: Los Angeles set up its fifth score of the night with this deep ball from Jared Goff, 47 yards to Sammy Watkins, who made a beautiful over-the-shoulder catch to get the Rams to the red zone.

Rams 24, 49ers 13 After being invisible for most of the game, Sammy Watkins finally gets involved, making a pair of critical catches to get the Rams down into field goal range. Gurley scores his third touchdown of the game to extend LA’s lead near the end of the first half.

Rams 17, 49ers 13 Robbie Gould’s second field goal of the night slices a few more points off the 49ers’ deficit.

Rams 17, 49ers 10 Tavon Austin, once considered a dangerous weapon, muffed an easy punt, which the 49ers recovered at LA’s 12-yard line. The 49ers cashed in with a 36-yard field goal.

Hyde returned to the game. Another Rams offsides saved the 49ers, who went from a fourth down to third and manageable, converting the first down.

Rams 17, 49ers 7 The Rams couldn’t turn their second turnover into a touchdown, but they extend their lead to two possessions with a 48-yard field goal by Greg Zuerlein.

Hyde’s injury is already being felt, as third-string running back Raheem Mostert coughed up the ball in Rams territory. It’s the 49es’ second turnover in the first quarter alone.

Rams 14, 49ers 7 A shootout in Santa Clara? Stranger things have happened. Jared Goff immediately answered the 49ers’ scoring drive with one of his own, moving the Rams into the red zone and hitting Gurley for a 7-yard touchdown pass.

Despite the score, the 49ers got an injury scare with Carlos Hyde questionable to return with a hip injury.

Rams 7, 49ers 7 Hoyer recovers from that disastrous start and drives the offense right down the field on his next drive, capping it off with a 9-yard scramble into the end zone. The Rams helped out the 49ers when an offsides penalty wiped out a punt and kept San Francisco’s offense on the field.

Rams 7, 49ers 0 Well, this is an ominous sign for what’s to come. Brian Hoyer’s first pass of the game was picked off and ran back to the 3-yard line. Todd Gurley punched it in on the next play.

The Los Angeles Rams had their hot start cooled when Washington escaped Los Angeles with a 27-20 victory. Now, fresh off holding Kirk Cousins to only 179 passing yards, they look to get back on track against an underwhelming Brian Hoyer and the San Francisco 49ers.

Hoyer has been inefficient to begin his San Francisco career. Signed as a stopgap solution to the team’s quarterback woes, the journeyman passer has thrown for just 292 passing yards in two starts, averaging a career-low 4.7 yards per attempt. Only the Bengals have scored fewer points per game than the 49ers’ 6.0.

Los Angeles, on the other hand, has been trending in the opposite direction. No team in the league scored more points in Week 1 than the Rams’ 46 — though 14 of those came directly from Scott Tolzien pick-sixes. Jared Goff, the No. 1 pick of the 2016 NFL draft, finally got his first win as a pro, and early returns on his sophomore season have been positive.

While Goff hasn’t lit the world on fire with his arm, he’s been quietly competent for the Rams. He’s cut his interception rate nearly in half while completing two-thirds of his passes, making the franchise’s plan to build around him look a bit wiser. He’ll be tested Thursday, however. The 49ers have held opponents to an 84.5 passer rating through two games and limited opponents to just 176 passing yards per contest.

If Goff can’t make a difference, maybe Todd Gurley can. The 2015 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year got off to a slow start against the Colts, but rebounded for an impressive 88-yard performance against Washington that showcased the powerful back’s insane athleticism.

The 49ers have been stingy against the run, holding opposing backs to just 3.3 yards per carry so far, so Thursday’s game could be the litmus test that tells us whether Gurley is back or if Sunday was just a mirage.

A Rams win keeps them atop the NFC West standings through three weeks. A loss keeps the division wide open. That might not be much of a reason to watch an otherwise forgettable Thursday Night Football broadcast in Week 3 — but hey, it’s football.

Out is Jeff Fisher and in is Sean McVay, the youngest head coach in the NFL. He was brought in to fix Jared Goff. What did the Rams do right away? They signed left tackle Andrew Whitworth and center John Sullivan. Give Goff protection. They drafted Cooper Kupp, signed Robert Woods and traded for Sammy Watkins. Give Goff weapons.

The Rams hosted Washington on Sunday in front of a mostly-empty stadium, casting doubt on whether the City of Angels is a premier market for one NFL franchise, let alone two. The red and white seatbacks of Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum were plainly visible throughout the first quarter as a smattering of fans took in the action live.

Tomlinson took part in 48 of 49 offensive snaps against the Seahawks. He allowed two hurries against the Seahawks, according to Pro Football Focus. He wasn’t perfect, but he was significantly better than Zane Beadles. Most importantly, his issues didn’t stem from missed assignments, always a concern in a new system.

The 49ers defense was the key to this game, but Hyde was the only consistent thing on offense, finishing with 124 yards on 15 carries, and 19 receiving yards on three catches.

Hyde’s performance is being recognized, as he has been nominated for the Week 2 FedEx Ground Player of the Week award.

“I think he did some good things. I think he’s getting more and more comfortable just getting back into the rhythm of a normal game. That’s the first time he’s had live action in a year. So, I think the standards that he has for himself and that we have for him – we know that there’s a couple things that he can do better.”

Yeah, I know — these are just regular mustard, or low power mode on your iPhone, or Laa Laa the Teletubby, or even Tom Herman hydration chart (pee!) colored. But damn it, they’re good uniforms.