LOS ANGELES (AP) — Although the Rams-49ers rivalry has been decidedly tilted in San Francisco's direction in recent years, the games have still been must-see spectacles.
Both California teams have usually fielded a pair of rosters filled with NFL stars at the peak of their talents, even if the Niners usually win.
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Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Tyler Johnson (18) runs against the Arizona Cardinals during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy walks off the field after throwing an incomplete pass on fourth down during the first half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay speaks on the sidelines during the first half of an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan walks on the field before an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) is sacked by Arizona Cardinals linebacker Dennis Gardeck (45) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) fumbles the ball during the second half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Both teams are missing several top players because of injuries when they meet on Sunday, putting a decided damper on the Rams' home opener in Inglewood.
The 49ers (1-1) will be without Christian McCaffrey (leg) and Deebo Samuel (calf) — and tight end George Kittle (hamstring) also could be sidelined or limited. The Rams (0-2) won't have their top two receivers and offensive playmakers, Cooper Kupp (ankle) and Puka Nacua (knee).
But Matthew Stafford and Brock Purdy both are healthy, and they'll try to do more with less in the biannual rivalry game.
“I think the biggest thing for me as a quarterback is (to) just go out there and trust," said Stafford, who will also be playing behind a third new starting lineup on his offensive line.
“I trust those guys that they’re going to do their job,” Stafford added. "There’s some high-level stuff that guys that I’ve played with for five or six years that you can talk about and feel good about doing. When you have new guys in different spots, some of that isn’t there. But you just go out there, trust that they’re going to be in the right spots, throw the ball and let them do their thing.”
The 49ers are still smarting from last week's 23-17 loss to Minnesota, and their offensive depth is already being tested without their star running back and their do-it-all receiver. McCaffrey and Samuel accounted for 3,340 yards from scrimmage and 33 TDs last season.
“Hopefully they’ll be OK, but I’m not sad that they’re not playing against us,” Rams coach Sean McVay said. “They are still as good as it gets offensively in this league.”
Niners coach Kyle Shanahan said the number of plays in the game plan won’t change, but there will be some that won’t make the cut this week without both players in the lineup.
“You eliminate some special things that you would only do for those guys, but the number (of plays) doesn’t change,” Shanahan said. “There’s things those guys do very well. Nothing other guys can’t do. But there’s kind of different percentages on how much you call them and things like that.”
McVay also has to make major changes to his game plan in the absence of Kupp and Nacua. Veterans Tyler Johnson and Demarcus Robinson are stepping up for the Rams, who are 0-2 for the first time in McVay's career.
Preparing for the Rams was a little different this year for Shanahan because of a key piece missing in the middle of the Rams defense. Shanahan won’t need to spend much of his week figuring out how to try to neutralize three-time AP Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald, who retired after last season. Donald’s 12½ career sacks against the Niners are tied for the most of any player and his presence impacted what San Francisco could do both in the running and passing game.
“It’s definitely a little different,” Shanahan said. “That’s been 99% of our brain power for a number of years, and it’s kind of weird just not thinking that way.”
Jimmy Garoppolo went 8-0 as a starter against the Rams during his six seasons with the 49ers. He will be watching from the Rams' sideline this time as Stafford's backup in his first game against San Francisco since his departure.
Garoppolo smiled at the idea of what might happen if he has to play against Nick Bosa and Fred Warner on San Francisco’s hard-nosed defense.
“The trash talk would get real, real quick I bet,” Garoppolo said. “That’s one thing I know that would pick up, just from knowing those guys. It would be cool, but Staff has got it right now. I think we’re in good hands. Staff has been balling, and he’s just got to keep going.”
Garoppolo also knows about the noise made by Niners fans at SoFi Stadium. Many older football fans in the Los Angeles area adopted the 49ers as their favorite team during the NFL's 21-year absence from the nation's second-largest media market.
“Being on this side of it, we've got to deal with the noise a little bit,” Garoppolo said. “Just being honest. We'll see what happens Sunday. Rams Nation came out pretty good in the preseason, so hopefully with the home opener and everything, it will be a pretty good crowd.”
San Francisco has won 10 of the past 13 meetings, but the Rams won the NFC championship game in January 2022 on the way to their Super Bowl 56 title. Los Angeles also won the teams’ most recent matchup in Week 18 last season, with Carson Wentz leading the Rams past Sam Darnold’s 49ers 21-20 while both coaches rested many of their top players — but not Samuel or Brandon Aiyuk — for the postseason.
The Niners still have talent without McCaffrey and Samuel. While Aiyuk remains a top receiver, Jordan Mason has rushed for 247 yards in two games in place of McCaffrey, and Jauan Jennings will fill in for Samuel.
AP Pro Football Writer Josh Dubow contributed.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Tyler Johnson (18) runs against the Arizona Cardinals during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy walks off the field after throwing an incomplete pass on fourth down during the first half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay speaks on the sidelines during the first half of an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan walks on the field before an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) is sacked by Arizona Cardinals linebacker Dennis Gardeck (45) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) fumbles the ball during the second half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Facing a government shutdown deadline, the Senate rushed through final passage early Saturday of a bipartisan plan that would temporarily fund federal operations and disaster aid, dropping President-elect Donald Trump's demands for a debt limit increase into the new year.
House Speaker Mike Johnson had insisted Congress would “meet our obligations” and not allow federal operations to shutter ahead of the Christmas holiday season. But the day's outcome was uncertain after Trump doubled down on his insistence that a debt ceiling increase be included in any deal — if not, he said in an early morning post, let the closures “start now.”
The House approved Johnson's new bill overwhelmingly, 366-34. The Senate worked into the night to pass it, 85-11, just after the deadline. At midnight, the White House said it had ceased shutdown preparations.
“This is a good outcome for the country, ” Johnson said after the House vote, adding he had spoken with Trump and the president-elect “was certainly happy about this outcome, as well.”
President Joe Biden, who has played a less public role in the process throughout a turbulent week, was expected to sign the measure into law Saturday.
“There will be no government shutdown," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said.
The final product was the third attempt from Johnson, the beleaguered House speaker, to achieve one of the basic requirements of the federal government — keeping it open. And it raised stark questions about whether Johnson will be able to keep his job, in the face of angry GOP colleagues, and work alongside Trump and billionaire ally Elon Musk, who called the legislative plays from afar.
Trump's last-minute demand was almost an impossible ask, and Johnson had almost no choice but to work around his pressure for a debt ceiling increase. The speaker knew there wouldn’t be enough support within the GOP majority to pass any funding package, since many Republican deficit hawks prefer to slash the federal government and certainly wouldn’t allow more debt.
Instead, the Republicans, who will have full control of the White House, House and Senate next year, with big plans for tax cuts and other priorities, are showing they must routinely rely on Democrats for the votes needed to keep up with the routine operations of governing.
“So is this a Republican bill or a Democrat bill?” scoffed Musk on social media ahead of the vote.
The drastically slimmed-down 118-page package would fund the government at current levels through March 14 and add $100 billion in disaster aid and $10 billion in agricultural assistance to farmers.
Gone is Trump’s demand to lift the debt ceiling, which GOP leaders told lawmakers would be debated as part of their tax and border packages in the new year. Republicans made a so-called handshake agreement to raise the debt limit at that time while also cutting $2.5 trillion in spending over 10 years.
It’s essentially the same deal that flopped the night before in a spectacular setback — opposed by most Democrats and some of the most conservative Republicans — minus Trump’s debt ceiling demand.
But it's far smaller than the original bipartisan accord Johnson struck with Democratic and Republican leaders — a 1,500-page bill that Trump and Musk rejected, forcing him to start over. It was stuffed with a long list of other bills — including much-derided pay raises for lawmakers — but also other measures with broad bipartisan support that now have a tougher path to becoming law.
House Democrats were cool to the latest effort after Johnson reneged on the hard-fought bipartisan compromise.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, said it looked like Musk, the wealthiest man in the world, was calling the shots for Trump and Republicans.
“Who is in charge?” she asked during the debate.
Still, the House Democrats put up more votes than Republicans for the bill's passage. Almost three dozen conservative House Republicans voted against it.
“The House Democrats have successfully stopped extreme MAGA Republicans from shutting down the government, crashing the economy and hurting working-class Americans all across the nation,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said, referring to Trump's “Make America Great Again” slogan.
In the Senate, almost all the opposition came from the Republicans — except independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, who said Musk's interference was “not democracy, that's oligarchy.”
Trump, who has not yet been sworn into office, is showing the power but also the limits of his sway with Congress, as he intervenes and orchestrates affairs from Mar-a-Lago alongside Musk, who is heading up the new Department of Government Efficiency.
The incoming Trump administration vows to slash the federal budget and fire thousands of employees and is counting on Republicans for a big tax package. And Trump's not fearful of shutdowns the way lawmakers are, having sparked the longest government shutdown in history in his first term at the White House.
“If there is going to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now,” Trump posted early in the morning on social media.
More important for the president-elect was his demand for pushing the thorny debt ceiling debate off the table before he returns to the White House. The federal debt limit expires Jan. 1, and Trump doesn't want the first months of his new administration saddled with tough negotiations in Congress to lift the nation's borrowing capacity. Now Johnson will be on the hook to deliver.
“Congress must get rid of, or extend out to, perhaps, 2029, the ridiculous Debt Ceiling,” Trump posted — increasing his demand for a new five-year debt limit increase. "Without this, we should never make a deal."
Government workers had already been told to prepare for a federal shutdown that would send millions of employees — and members of the military — into the holiday season without paychecks.
Biden has been in discussions with Jeffries and Schumer, but White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said: “Republicans blew up this deal. They did, and they need to fix this.”
As the day dragged on, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell stepped in to remind colleagues “how harmful it is to shut the government down, and how foolish it is to bet your own side won’t take the blame for it.”
At one point, Johnson asked House Republicans at a lunchtime meeting for a show of hands as they tried to choose the path forward.
It wasn’t just the shutdown, but the speaker’s job on the line. The speaker’s election is the first vote of the new Congress, which convenes Jan. 3, and some Trump allies have floated Musk for speaker.
Johnson said he spoke to Musk ahead of the vote Friday and they talked about the “extraordinary challenges of this job.”
Associated Press writers Kevin Freking, Stephen Groves, Mary Clare Jalonick, Darlene Superville and Bill Barrow contributed to this report.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., celebrates as the Senate begins voting on the government funding bill just in time to meet the midnight deadline, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., celebrates as the Senate begins voting on the government funding bill just in time to meet the midnight deadline, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks to reporters after passing the funding bill to avert the government shutdown at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks to reporters after passing the funding bill to avert the government shutdown at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
The Capitol is pictured in Washington, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., emerges from a closed-door meeting with fellow Republicans at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., emerges from a closed-door meeting with fellow Republicans at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., talks with reporters after attending a meeting with Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., as the House works on a spending bill to avert a shutdown of the Federal Government, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
FILE - President-elect Donald Trump poses for a photo with Dana White, Kid Rock and Elon Musk at UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden, Nov. 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks briefly to reporters just before a vote on an interim spending bill to prevent a government shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. The vote failed to pass. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
