If the Jim Tomsula era has come to an end, could it really have finished any more ridiculous fashion? The San Francisco 49ers somehow managed to win this thing in overtime, beating the St. Louis Rams by a final score of 19-16. I know people like to see the team win, but this also cost the 49ers a few spots in the draft order. The 49ers will now pick No. 7 following the victory, having slipped behind the Jacksonville Jaguars and Baltimore Ravens. They will rotate with those two teams in the subsequent rounds.
The 49ers had a chance to at least try and go for a win to close regulation. San Francisco faced a 4th and 4 at the Rams 37-yard line with 1:32 left in the game. It was believed to be within Phil Dawson's field goal range, but instead of kicking a field goal, or even going for the first down, Jim Tomsula sent out punter Bradley Pinion. The Rams could not score on their ensuing possession, and the 49ers followed by taking a knee to send it to overtime. You can't make this kind of crap up.
Draft positioning aside, there are some positives to take from this game, DuJuan Harris is the most notable, as he put together a second straight strong effort in place of Shaun Draughn. He finished the game with 67 rushing yards and 80 receiving yards. Additionally, rookie Trent Brown had some solid work once again. He'll be firmly in competition for the starting right tackle job next year. On the defensive side of the ball, NaVorro Bowman was bouncing all over the field, Eric Reid brought some big hits, and Aaron Lynch had a pretty amazing rag-doll tackle of Tavon Austin.
We'll have plenty more to close out this finale, and of course, we'll be keeping close track of the 49ers potential head coach search.