Late Rams mistakes preserve 49ers’ victory

San Francisco is 2-0 and plays the unbeaten Steelers next.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — It was the kind of play Dante Hall has made many times, camped under a punt, waiting to make the catch.

This time, late in the fourth quarter Sunday, he dropped it. Marcus Hudson recovered for San Francisco, setting up the winning field goal in the 49ers’ 17-16 win over St. Louis.

“It was a routine play for me,” Hall said. “I fair catch it and call it a day.”

The Rams’ Jeff Wilkins missed a 56-yard field goal try with 59 seconds to play, the ball falling about a yard short of the goal post.

“He’s got a good leg,” 49ers coach Mike Nolan said of sweating out Wilkins’ kick. “I wasn’t thinking, ‘Oh, we got this.’ ”

The 49ers (2-0) won despite struggling offensively most of the game. Alex Smith was 11-for-17 for 126 yards. Frank Gore scored two touchdowns and gained 81 yards on 20 carries, most of those coming on a play that helped turn the game around late in the third quarter.

Rams dominated

St. Louis lost despite outgaining San Francisco 392 yards to 186. The Rams had 20 first downs to eight for the 49ers.

“We’ve got to find ways when we’ve got a lead, lead at halftime, lead in the third quarter, to sustain it,” Rams coach Scott Linehan said. “You can’t have opportunities and squander them. And we did.”

The Rams were up 13-7 late in the third quarter and on the verge of another score when Torry Holt caught a pass at the San Francisco 10 and was stripped from behind by Nate Clements. The ball skipped into the end zone, then out of bounds, giving San Francisco the ball at the 20.

The 49ers’ drive appeared to stall with a fourth-and-1 at the St. Louis 43, but Nolan went for it. Gore took a handoff up the middle and got the first down after he appeared stopped by linebacker Chris Draft. But Draft lost his grasp of the running back, who ran to the end zone to make it 14-13.

“They had nine in the box — everybody was up there,” Gore said. “I got through and kept pumping my legs.”

St. Louis led late

The Rams (0-2) went back on top early in the fourth quarter after defensive tackle Clifton Ryan swatted the ball loose from Smith, setting up Wilkins’ 53-yard field goal.

Hall, a two-time Pro Bowl return man acquired in an offseason trade with Kansas City, appeared to have an easy catch on Andy Lee’s kick, but the ball went through his hands, setting up Joe Nedney’s 40-yard field goal with 3:28 to play.

“It was frustrating. I was just trying to make a play. I should have just fair-caught it,” Hall admitted.