49ers bury Rams, open season with 28-0 victory

SANTA CLARA - Heading into Week 1 of the 2016, there were more than a few knowledgeable football types who believed the worst team in the NFL would be on the field for the Monday-night game at Levi's Stadium. They were right. But it wasn't the 49ers. It was the Los Angeles Rams.

The Niners might have a depleted roster, a new coaching staff and a tepid competition for the starting quarterback job. But they're better than the Rams. Way better. Twenty-eight points better.

San Francisco buried Los Angeles' new team 28-0, the team's first shutout since they flat-lined the Jets on the road in 2012, and its first at home since blanking the Rams, the St. Louis Rams, in 2011.

“It's a good day overall,” 49ers coach Chip Kelly said. “There's a lot of things we need to do better, that we need to build on. But it's a lot easier when you win than when you lose.”

Are the Niners better than we thought? Are the Rams really this bad? We'll need more than one game to answer those questions, but the evening was a pleasant surprise for many San Francisco fans.

The Los Angeles offense was pathetic all night. Running back Todd Gurley, the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2015, never found a crease. He finished with 47 yards on 17 carries. Case Keenum was so bad at quarterback - 17 of 35 for 130 yards and two interceptions - that you have to wonder how in the world former Cal star Jared Goff could start the season on the sidelines. Goff, the top pick in this year's draft, was inactive Monday.

Most of all, the Rams offensive line looked utterly overmatched. Hard Knocks? These guys felt 'em all night.

The 49ers may find it hard to duplicate these results next week in Carolina, or the week after that in Seattle. But give credit where it's due. Monday night, Jim O'Neil's defense was stellar. Guys like linebacker Ahmad Brooks and defensive end Arik Armstead were in Keenum's face all night, and San Francisco blitzed its defensive backs effectively.

More good news: Inside linebacker NaVorro Bowman looked more like the All-Pro 2013 edition than the still-recovering 2015 version. He showed the sideline-to-sideline to pursuit of old and intercepted a pass that he had to cradle between his knees on the way to the turf.

Perhaps more surprising was a solid showing by the 49ers offense. The Rams' greatest asset, according to conventional wisdom, is a stout defensive line fronted by Aaron Donald and Robert Quinn. But that line did little of note against San Francisco.

“I think our offensive line did a nice job,” Kelly said. “And again, we knew going in that that was one of the better D-lines in the NFL. Aaron Donald is probably one of the best inside defensive linemen in this league, and we knew that was gonna be a huge deal for us. And I'll give our guys credit for sustaining.”

Donald's frustration bubbled over late in the game, when he knocked off Quinton Patton's helmet in a scuffle, got hit with a 15-yard penalty, made contact with an official as he pleaded his case and was booted from the game. Donald hurled a ball of tape and threw his helmet to the ground before leaving the field in a huff.

Niners running back Carlos Hyde looked sharp as he gained 88 yards on 23 carries and scored a pair of touchdowns, including a nifty, stop-and-start 11-yarder to open the scoring. Backup Shane Draughn chipped in with a touchdown of his own.

Quarterback Blaine Gabbert was a mixed bag. He showed well-established, infuriating tendency to throw shorter than the situation dictated. Twice he completed passes for minus-2 yards when he desperately needed positive yardage – to Torrey Smith on fourth down and to Jeremy Kerley on third down. Once, on third-and-2, Gabbert completed a 1-yarder to Patton.

But Gabbert, seen as the lesser of evils in the 49ers quarterback race, made some timely throws as well. One was a dart to tight end Vance McDonald on a third-and-goal play early in the fourth quarter that gave San Francisco a three-touchdown lead.

Gabbert finished 22 of 35 for 170 yards, and was relieved for the final possession by former starter Colin Kaepernick.

Just as notable was Gabbert's Kaepernickian running. Gabbert ran for 43 yards and picked up several first downs. One of those runs set up Draughn's touchdown, which gave the 49ers a 14-0 lead at halftime.

“I thought Blaine did a nice job,” Kelly said. “There was probably a couple throws, like always, that you want back. But I thought he was very efficient with the ball. He did not turn the ball over, did not put the ball in harm's way. He kept drives alive with his feet. Threw some real nice balls in some critical situations when it looked like we couldn't get going.”

The Niners failed to score in the third quarter, but it didn't matter because they were playing the Rams. Los Angeles' possession chart for the game looked like this: punt, punt, punt, interception, punt, punt, punt, punt, punt, punt, interception (by linebacker Ray-Ray Armstrong), interception, punt, turnover on downs.

It was frequently hard to watch, and it came to a whimpering end with 2:41 left, when Keenum tried to run on fourth-and-10 and was dropped by Bowman after a 5-yard gain.

You can reach staff writer Phil Barber at 521-5263 or phil.barber@pressdemocrat.com. Follow him on TWitter: @Skinny_Post.