SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The St. Louis Rams came into their game Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers with six total sacks in seven games.

The Rams defense sacked 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick six times in the first half alone and eight times in the game.

It seemed only fitting that St. Louis’ defense came up with a goal-line stand in the final seconds, preserving a 13-10 victory at Levi’s Stadium.

“All it takes is a snowflake to start an avalanche,” said Rams defensive end Robert Quinn, who forced a fumble and had two of the Rams’ sacks. “You see that the sacks are picking up and guys are selling out. Hopefully it doesn’t stop here.”

Facing third-and-goal from the Rams’ 1 with nine seconds left to play, Kaepernick kept the ball on a quarterback sneak, but he fumbled, and Rams linebacker James Laurinaitis recovered in the end zone.

Laurinaitis credited defensive coordinator Gregg Williams for anticipating the sneak and adjusting the defensive front accordingly, eliminating any large gaps for Kaepernick to attack.

“A guy that tall, he wants to catch it and jump over the pile, just extend the ball out,” Laurinaitis said. “He fumbled the snap a little bit and had to dive forwards. So when (linebacker) Jo-Lonn (Dunbar) went up, I just tried to go down and meet him head-to-head.

“As I’m going down, I see the ball sitting there. Usually in scrums like that you got the show the refs quick, make sure they know the ball is out. I did that, and the ref made the correct call.”

The 49ers (4-4) lost their second straight game and fell three games behind the first-place Arizona Cardinals (7-1) and one game behind the Seattle Seahawks (5-3) in the NFC West. The Rams (3-5) are just a game back.

What the 49ers said:

“We’ve just got to look at ourselves in the mirror, and we’re going to try to get to this postseason. We’ve got to go do it and stop playing around.” — RB Frank Gore.

What the Rams said:

“Aaron Donald, he kind of started the fire, did his thing. William Hayes, everybody sold out for this team. Once the first sack came, guys just kind of sparked it and kept going. Eight times we got him down. It was a heck of a ballgame.” — DE Robert Quinn, who had two of the Rams’ eight sacks of 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick and forced a Kaepernick fumble.

What we learned about the 49ers:

1. This Super-Bowl-or-bust team is far from a lock to even make the playoffs. After losing two straight games, the 4-4 49ers are three games behind first-place Arizona in the NFC West and one game behind Seattle. They’re just a game ahead of the last-place St. Louis Rams. The 49ers face back-to-back road games against the Saints and the Giants and still have to face the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks twice.

2. The 49ers’ offensive line raised a red flag Sunday big enough for the rest of the NFL to see. The 49ers gave up eight sacks to a Rams defense that had six sacks through seven games before facing San Francisco. There was enough blame to go around for every 49er offensive lineman. The 49ers might have to get back to their smash-mouth, grind-it-out ways before quarterback Colin Kaepernick gets seriously hurt. He has been sacked 27 times this season.

–QB Colin Kaepernick completed 22 of 33 passes for 237 yards and a touchdown, but he lost two fumbles Sunday, one of those at the goal line in the final seconds of a 13-10 loss to St. Louis. On third-and-1 from the Rams 1 with nine seconds left, Kaepernick bobbled the snap on a quarterback sneak and lost hold of the ball, as the Rams recovered in the end zone. Kaepernick claimed he had control of the ball as it crossed the goal-line plane, but the fumble call stood after a video review. Kapernick was sacked eight times and has been sacked 27 times for the season.

–WR Anquan Boldin caught six passes for 93 yards and a touchdown Sunday against the Rams. Boldin, who has 902 career catches, became the 17th player in NFL history to reach 900 receptions. He’s the third fastest to reach that mark.

–ILB Chris Borland, making his second straight start in place of injured All-Pro Patrick Willis, made a team-high 18 tackles Sunday in a 13-10 loss to St. Louis. Borland, a rookie from Wisconsin, had three tackles for loss and 15 solo stops.

What we learned about the Rams:

1. Defensive end Robert Quinn has recaptured his quarterback sacking mojo, and the rest of his defensive teammates have joined in the fun. Quinn had two of the Rams’ season-high eight sacks Sunday against the 49ers and also forced a fumble. After going without a sack through the first five games, Quinn has five sacks in his past three games. Quinn had 19 sacks last season, second most in the NFL.

2. This team refuses to quit, no matter how long their injury list stretches. The Rams lost offensive tackle Jake Long and wide receiver Brian Quick to season-ending injuries last week in a loss to Kansas City. Thirteen players were on the injury list as the Rams prepared to face San Francisco. Against those odds, the Rams prevailed 13-10. “I’m just really happy for them, considering what happened last weekend with the injuries and the uncertainty we had,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher said.

–DE Robert Quinn had two of the Rams’ season-high eight sacks and forced a fumble Sunday in a 13-10 victory against San Francisco. Quinn went without a sack in his first five games but has five over his past three games. Last year, he finished second in the NFL with 19 sacks.

–RB Tre Mason, a rookie from Auburn, carried a season-high 19 times for 65 yards Sunday against the 49ers. Mason has carried 49 times for 222 yards and two touchdowns this season, all in the past four games.

–WR Kenny Britt caught two passes for 32 yards and the Rams’ lone touchdown Sunday in a 13-10 victory against San Francisco. Britt caught a 21-yard touchdown pass from QB Austin Davis late in the second quarter as the Rams pulled into a 10-10 tie. Britt ran a shallow crossing route, broke wide open and jogged into the end, capitalizing on a blown coverage. Britt has 18 catches for 281 yards and two touchdowns this season.