49ers vs. Rams final score: That sucked, so let's talk about it

The St. Louis Rams are just pretty darn solid at making the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks look bad, aren't they? They'll go weeks without a sack and without looking good at all, and then they'll do what they did on Sunday, especially in the first half, and make the 49ers look silly. They'll score just before halftime and make the game way closer than it needs to be after sacking Colin Kaepernick half a hundred times.

Then the 49ers will do what the 49ers will do and get a safety, and the referees will do what the referees will do and say it wasn't a safety.

It's a proven formula for the Rams, at the very least. It might even be the best way for Jeff Fisher to keep his job. The owners want to see the Rams look competitive in the NFC West, even if that doesn't translate to being in the discussion for the division lead. They looked plenty competitive on Sunday, winning 13-10. It was a miserable game.

Whatever the case, I took some notes during the game, and here they are for what is essentially your overfill recap/postgame thread:

- Aaron Lynch is just as good as advertised. He looked great in the first half. He had a pass batted down at the line, a sack and big pressure on a couple separate third-down plays. People have already pointed out the fact that this is going to look real, real nice when Aldon Smith comes back and I have to agree. I think Ahmad Brooks has his place on the field, but Lynch is simply applying more consistent pressure.

- Rookie center Marcus Martin had, as expected, a rough game. He had trouble with Aaron Donald, allowing a couple sacks, and also seemed to struggle to find where he was supposed to be on extended plays. I noticed him turning around frantically looking for Kaepernick while the rest of the line blocked around him. I feel good about him going forward but it wasn't a great game.

- That said, the rest of the line was miserable as well. They allowed a ton of sacks and didn't give Kaepernick much time. The Rams didn't do anything especially elegant on the defensive side of the ball -- they just kicked the crap out of the 49ers all over the field. It was brutal for every member of the line. I'd guess Mike Iupati looked the best out of the five but that's not saying much.

- Jerome Boger is the worst referee in the NFL. His crew is consistently bad, and I'm not even going to point to specific calls for or against the 49ers. To do that would be a disservice to both teams given how bad this referee was. I don't understand why he has a job.

- Andy Lee doesn't mess up often. But boy, when he does ...

- I think Chris Borland had himself a very solid game, but then so did Michael Wilhoite. Both inside linebackers have been good this year, but I did notice a few times in which both were a little slow to react. There was one play in the first half when both linebackers were shifting to the sideline (there wasn't anybody over there to cover, but they still went) and Austin Davis took over on a run. He's not fast, it wasn't especially unexpected, but both linebackers kept moving backwards even though they saw Davis coming. It took them way too long to adjust. Maybe Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman just have me spoiled, though.

- I cannot express just how stupid it was to call a quarterback sneak at the end of the game there. You run the sneak earlier in the drive, especially when you're a team like the 49ers. San Francisco may have struggled to block in the passing game, but they're one of those teams that can make things happen with A SINGLE YARD TO GO. The fact that Frank Gore didn't get that ball is so absurd that it's actually funny.

- It's a long, long uphill climb to the playoffs now. Buckle up.