Rams and 49ers clash on TNF used 'Highlander' series plot to thrill fans

The LA Rams (8-6) and the San Francisco 49ers (6-8) entered Week 15 with parity. The two teams had both struggled with injuries this season, both had their own sets of personnel issues, and both had higher hopes than their seasons had delivered. But it was Thursday Night Football, it was in the 49ers home field, and the probability for playoffs rested on the hopes for a victory.

Based on the pregame predictions and Las Vegas oddsmakers, the San Francisco 49ers were expected to deliver, and the Los Angeles Rams were expected to lose and fade away into oblivion.

The Rams coaching staff had other ideas.

If you have heard about the Highlander movie series, you know that it was a movie about immortal Scottish swordsmen who must duel to the death, with the winner claiming the essence and vitality of the loser. The concept was so popular that it spawned a series of five moves. In many ways, the LA Rams clash with the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday Night Football mirrored that spirit of 'the winner takes all,' plot that the Highlander movies used so successfully to sell movie tickets.

If you wonder why NFL fans, and particularly Rams fans, are so loyal and stick with the team through thick and thin, this can certainly be one of the reasons for that loyalty. Throughout the season, it is a clash of teams who all aspire to win the Lombardi Trophy. But at this time of year, after a gauntlet of ten or more games, some teams rise to the occasion, and some teams do not.

On Thursday Night Football of Week 15, the Rams rose to the occasion and the 49ers did not. Let's explore that a bit further.