The 49ers finished the game strong. During the last 7 ½ minutes of the game they scored three touchdowns, while the performance of the Rams showed why they need the No. 1 pick overall in the draft.

Vernon Davis, with his 13th touchdown reception this season tied the NFL season record for tight ends, helping to spark a late surge by the 49ers on Sunday and lead them to their 28-6 win over the Rams.

Davis said, my number got called. Coach said if a defensive back was out there I should do my best and run by him. That is exactly what I did. All I did was run as fast as I possibly could.

Frank Gore rushed for 107 yards in 23 carries and scored two touchdowns. After a sluggish first half where they managed only 52 total yards and trailed in game 3-0, the 49ers (8-8) pulled away.

Mike Singletary, 49ers coach said, it wasn’t the style of game that we would like to have. It wasn’t the way we had wanted things to go. I’m just thankful that we came out of the game. Just get the heck out with a win and out of St. Louis.

With their win San Fransisco snapped their streak of having six losing seasons in row. They also stopped their streak of losing six consecutive road games and finished with a record of 5-1 versus NFC West reams. St. Louis (1-15) finished their first home schedule without a win since 1959 when they went 0-6 and for only the third time in franchise history.

St. Louis needed to lose their final game in order to secure the rights to the No. 1 draft pick. It’s the first time they have had it since 1997. That year they traded up and obtained tackle Orlando Pace, a seven time Pro Bowler. The offense had only 109 total offensive yards, their fifth lowest total in franchise history. It was also their lowest total since September 8, 1996 when they gained 105 yards in San Francisco.

For the Rams, Steven Jackson rushed for 63 yards in 20 carries. The biggest play for St. Louis was a punt return of 56 yards by Danny Amendola down to the 19 yard line of the 49ers. The play resulted in a field goal, cutting the lead of the 49ers down to 7-6 with just 9:11 to play.

Jackson said, we have lots of things we need to turn around. Something needs to turn.

This will be the Rams first overall No. draft pick they’ve earned since selecting Terry Baker, Oregon State quarterback and winner of the Heisman Trophy award in 1963. During the off season there will be some excitement for the Rams as their rebuilding process continues. During the last two seasons the Rams have had the second pick overall and have a record over the last three seasons of 6-42.

Steve Spagnuolo, Rams coach said, I won’t deny that one.

It’s the seventh time this season that the 49ers were able to hold the opposing team to 10 points or less. It came behind eight sacks, a season high for the team, including Justin Smith’s 3 ½ sacks.

Keith Null, rookie quarterback for the Rams, went 7 for 17 for a total of 57 yards. He took five of the 49ers sacks before he sustained a possible concussion during the four quarter. According to Spagnuolo, Donnie Avery, wide receiver, suffered a concussion and Null was well but a little fuzzy. The coach added that he didn’t know whether or not the term concussion had been used.

Davis tied a record that was set last season by Antonio Gates with the longest catch in his career. He caught a 73 yard pass from Alex Smith to score the go ahead touchdown during the fourth quarter to make the score 14-6.

In his last five games Gore rushed for a 100 yards or more in four of them. For the season he had five overall.

The punters dominated most of the game. Donnie Jones of the Rams punted 11 times, his season high, with a 50.1 yard average. The 49ers’ Andy Lee punted nine times, tying his season high, and had an average of 46.7 yards.

For the third game in a row the Rams game on local television was blacked out. Attendance for the three games was the three lowest since 1995 when the franchise relocated back to the Midwest.

The game’s paid attendance was 47,965. Out of the three games it was the best, most likely boosted by the fact that it was “fan appreciation day” featuring various giveaways including Super Bowl tickets, game worn jerseys and flat screen TVs, along with severely reduced prices on team store merchandise and concessions.

The first half’s only scoring came on a field goal of 54 yards by Josh Brown during the second quarter. It was only one yard short of his season best. At the end of the half Brown had an attempt from 45 yards go wide to the left, after the Rams decided to not use any timeouts.

When Roger Allen III, undrafted rookie from Missouri Western, left the game after injuring his left knee during the second quarter, St. Louis was without any more offensive guards. On the flip card Mark Setterstrom was listed as the backup for two different positions but out for the rest of the season due to an injured left triceps requiring surgery, while Adam Goldberg, starting tackle, was also listed for two positions as the backup.