Greg Zuerlein’s boot helps Rams edge 49ers in OT

“I think the perception was well, we might have caught them on a bad day,” Fisher said. “It’s a good feeling in the locker room.”

Most of the game was a defensive struggle, nothing like the 24-all tie in San Francisco. Michel Crabtree was a rare offensive standout with seven catches for 101 yards, while rookie Chris Givens had 11 receptions for 92 yards for St. Louis.

Neither team had any success running the ball. The 49ers’ Frank Gore was held to 58 yards on 23 carries for a 2.5-yard average with a 1-yard scoring run in the first quarter and the Rams‘ Steven Jackson had 48 yards on 21 carries for a 2.3-yard average against the No. 2 rush defense.

“I’ll tell you, they put their whole team in the box,” Gore said.

Akers‘ 33-yard field goal put the 49ers ahead with 1:38 remaining, a score set up by Kaepernick’s 50-yard carry on a rollout. It left just enough time for Sam Bradford to guide the Rams 45 yards in seven plays.

The Rams were suddenly in the game when Kaepernick was well off the mark on a pitch to Ted Ginn Jr. from the 17 and Jenkins fell on it at the 2 before flopping into the end zone. Kendricks beat coverage from Patrick Willis on a 2-point conversion catch that tied it at 10 as the Rams succeeded even after a false start penalty on tackle Rodger Saffold.

Both teams kept it close to the vest in the first half with the 49ers ahead 7-0 after outgaining the Rams 113-85 and putting together one nice drive capped by Gore’s 1 yard scoring run late in the first quarter.

Zuerlein had the distance on a 58-yard attempt with 25 seconds to go in the first half, but was well wide to the right.

The Rams wore retro jerseys from their 1999 championship season, featuring yellow numbers and striping, and marked the franchise’s 75th anniversary. Several former players were introduced at halftime with fan favorites who played in St. Louis such as Isaac Bruce and Todd Lyght getting the strongest ovations.

NOTES: 49ers wide receiver Mario Manningham (shoulder) did not return after getting hurt in the fourth quarter. Harbaugh said the team “won’t know right away” about the severity of the injury. … Aldon Smith’s sack late in the first half gave him an NFL-best 31½ his first two seasons, a half-sack better than Reggie White in 1985-96. … The Rams sacked Kaepernick twice at the end of the half, including Bill Hayes’ second of the game. …

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