SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Los Angeles waited more than 20 years to get its Rams back on the West Coast -- and was subjected to one of the ugliest, most uninspiring season-opening performances imaginable.
It ended in a 28-0 defeat on "Monday Night Football" against the San Francisco 49ers, a team widely considered one of the NFL's worst this season.
Rams quarterback Case Keenum couldn't get anything going, the offensive line frequently got beat, star running back Todd Gurley couldn't find holes and the defense didn't do enough to make up for any of it. It all culminated in Aaron Donald getting flagged for unnecessary roughness on wide receiver Quinton Patton and then ejected for making contact with an official.
"That's not the way we play, and that wasn't our best football," Donald said. "We know that."
The Rams were penalized 102 yards on 10 flags -- and that wasn't even their biggest issue.
It was Keenum, who was starting largely because No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff is not yet ready. Keenum, a fifth-year pro, completed less than half of his passes and averaged less than three yards per attempt. Under Keenum, the Rams went 3-for-15 on third down and punted on 10 of their 13 possessions. There also was a late turnover on downs and two interceptions.
The first interception came on a tipped ball at the line of scrimmage early in the second quarter.
The second came in the fourth quarter, halting one of the Rams' best drives of the night. Tavon Austin -- given a lucrative, if not surprising, $42 million extension a couple of weeks ago -- returned a punt 28 yards to give the Rams the ball at the 49ers' 38-yard line. The Rams advanced the ball 12 more yards, but on second-and-9 at the 49ers' 26-yard line, Keenum made a bad read and basically threw into triple coverage.
It marked the low point of the night for the Rams, who gained 185 yards on 60 plays.
Gurley, the star running back who is supposed to be the anchor of the Rams' offense, gained only 47 yards on 17 carries. Austin was targeted a team-leading 12 times, but caught only four of those tosses for 13 yards. Then there was the offensive line, which gave up five quarterback hits. And the defense, which allowed 123 first-half rushing yards.
After Keenum's second interception, the 49ers went on a 10-play, 77-yard drive that ended with Blaine Gabbert connecting with tight end Vance McDonald on an 8-yard pass play. The chants then rang out from Levi's Stadium:
Beat L.A.! Beat L.A.! Beat L.A.!
The 49ers did, handily.
"Obviously disappointed in the lack of offensive production," Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. "It's third-down efficiency, scoring, and the run game was not there tonight. I'll credit their defense, but those things were problematic for us last year."