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National Football League
San Francisco 28, Los Angeles 0
When: 10:20 PM ET, Monday, September 12, 2016
Where: Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California
Temperature: 66°
Head Official: Bill Vinovich
Attendance: 70178

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The San Francisco 49ers made sure new coach Chip Kelly didn't have to sweat in his debut Monday night at Levi's Stadium.

Carlos Hyde ran for two scores, Blaine Gabbert threw a touchdown pass, and the 49ers rolled to a 28-0 win against the Los Angeles Rams.

The Rams were shut out in their first game since returning to Los Angeles after 21 seasons in St. Louis.

"We wanted that shutout," 49ers safety Antoine Bethea said. "We got the shutout. It's a great game to build off of."

Hyde gained 88 yards on 23 carries. Gabbert completed 22 of 35 passes for 170 yards and an 8-yard touchdown to tight end Vance McDonald. Backup running back Shaun Draughn scored on a 3-yard run in the second quarter, and wide receiver Jeremy Kerley caught seven passes for 61 yards.

The 49ers' defense held the Rams to 185 total yards and 10 first downs. Running back Todd Gurley, the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year last season, managed just 47 yards on 17 carries. Quarterback Case Keenum, starting a season opener for the first time in his career, completed 17 of 35 passes for 130 yards with two interceptions.

"I'm not happy," Keenum said. "This team deserved better play from its quarterback, and I intend on doing that. This is not going to define me. Obviously, it was a big stage and would have been a lot of fun to win on Monday night to start the season. It's a long season. This is not us, offensively. This is not us."

Rams rookie QB Jared Goff, the first overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, was inactive.

Linebackers NaVorro Bowman and Ray-Ray Armstrong each had an interception for a 49ers defense that was intent on shutting down Gurley and forcing Keenum try to beat them with his arm.

"Make them one-dimensional, stop that run, don't let them bust any runs," Bethea said. "We did a great job. Outside linebackers setting the edge, big guys in the middle doing a great job and the secondary just rallying to the football."

That added up to a long, frustrating night for Gurley.

"It's embarrassing definitely for us to go out there and not put any points on the board," Gurley said. "It's a long season. We're going to bounce back."

Kelly couldn't have asked for a much better debut.

"Obviously, for the first game of the year, there's a lot of things you're not sure of going into it," Kelly said. "I think the most telling statistic for us that you're really proud of is we had two penalties, and one of them was more because I screwed them up in the formation. To play that kind of disciplined football, I thought, was great."

After building a 14-0 first-half lead, the 49ers went three-and-out on their first three drives of the second half, and the Rams moved to San Francisco's 26 after Tavon Austin's 28-yard punt return. However, on second-and-9, Armstrong cut in front of tight end Lance Kendricks to intercept Keenum's pass over the middle.

The 49ers marched 77 yards on 10 plays for Gabbert's third-and-goal TD pass over the middle to McDonald with 12:07 remaining.

Hyde capped an 80-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run with 5:14 left.

Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald was ejected for making contact with an official with 7:02 remaining.

The 49ers took a 7-0 lead on Hyde's 11-yard touchdown run with 3:24 left in the first quarter. Hyde juked one Ram, then bolted through a huge hole up the middle.

"People counted us out before the season even started," Hyde said. "We just stayed together as a group. It's us against the world. We just keep that mind-set."

The 49ers drove 52 yards on 10 plays for their first score under Kelly. Gabbert threw for 17 yards and ran for 16 on the drive.

San Francisco increased its lead to 14-0 with 8:16 left in the first half when Draughn raced around left end for a short score. This time the 49ers marched 59 yards in nine plays in just 2:44.

Bowman set up San Francisco's second TD with an interception of a pass by Keenum at the 49ers 41 that was deflected by defensive lineman Quinton Dial.

One play earlier, the Rams had an apparent first down at the 49ers' 30 after Gurley gained 4 yards on fourth-and-2. However, after the whistle, Gurley was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct -- he threw the ball at a 49ers defender -- pushing the Rams back 15 yards.

NOTES: San Francisco backup QB Colin Kaepernick kneeled during the national anthem, continuing what he has said is a protest against racial injustice and police brutality against people of color. FS Eric Reid kneeled during the anthem for the second straight game. Niners SS Antoine Bethea and OLB Eli Harold raised their right fists, as did Rams DE Robert Quinn and WR Kenny Britt. ... 49ers WR Chris Harper was promoted to the 53-man roster from the practice squad, and RB DuJuan Harris was released. ... Rams rookie WRs Pharoh Cooper (shoulder) and Nelson Spruce (knee) were inactive. ... 49ers RG Andrew Tiller started in place of Anthony Davis, who reportedly contemplated retiring for a second time and was listed on the injury report as questionable (not injury related). Davis was active for the game. "I had a long talk with Anthony on Saturday, and everything's been ironed out," coach Chip Kelly said. "It was a miscommunication between myself and Anthony."
Top Game Performances
Rushing
Los Angeles   San Francisco
Todd Gurley Player Carlos Hyde
17 Attempts 23
47 Yards 88
2.8 Avg Yards 3.8
0 Touchdowns 2
10 Long 18
Receiving
Los Angeles   San Francisco
Kenny Britt Player Jeremy Kerley
4 Receptions 7
67 Yards 61
16.8 Avg Yards 8.7
0 Touchdowns 0
22 Long 18
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Los Angeles 185 65 120 0 0 0 0.0 2
San Francisco 320 150 170 4 0 2 2.0 0
Upcoming Games
  • San Francisco will play their next game on the road against Carolina. The 49ers have a W/L % of 1.000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
  • Los Angeles will play their next game at home against Seattle. The Rams have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.