The Los Angeles Rams overcame the San Francisco 49ers 12-6 in a rain-affected game to boost their NFL play-off hopes.

With the game tied at 6-6 in the fourth quarter, rookie kicker Joshua Karty drilled a 27-yard field goal to put the Rams ahead by three.

Karty then capped off a final drive with his fourth field goal with 18 seconds remaining.

“This team can win a variety of ways,” said Rams coach Sean McVay.

Neither side scored a touchdown at a sodden Levi’s Stadium in California on Thursday – the first game without a touchdown of the 2024 season.

McVay added: “I thought the defence came up big, time in and time out.”

San Francisco opened the scoring in the first quarter with a 53-yard field goal from Jake Moody, before he added to his tally early in the third to give the 49ers a 6-3 advantage.

But with the game level halfway through the third quarter, Niners wide receiver Deebo Samuel, who had recently complained on social media that he was not getting the ball enough, ended up dropping it in a key play, leading to boos from the home crowd.

The defeat was an eighth in 14 games for last season’s beaten Super Bowl finalists, a further blow for their already slim play-off chances.

While San Francisco struggle, the Rams hold an 8-6 record for their campaign so far.