The Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers Will Battle It Out For 1st Place
The Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers will go head-to-head on Thursday Night Football, and the winner will be tied for first place in the NFC West. San Francisco will come into the matchup extremely banged up, missing multiple starters. Can Matthew Stafford and the Rams take advantage of their division rival?
Rams Are On A Roll
The Rams have gotten off to a great 3-1 start, with their only loss coming against the Philadelphia Eagles. Multiple blocked kicks led to the Eagles’ comeback victory, but Los Angeles was able to bounce back in a statement win against the Indianapolis Colts. This week, they will be playing for first place in the NFC West.
Their offense has been fantastic through the first four weeks of the season, with different guys stepping up each week. Puka Nacua has been unbelievable, having over 500 receiving yards in four games and two touchdowns. Nacua has been a workhorse for Head Coach Sean McVay and the offense, having two games this season where he has had 100+ receiving yards. This has opened up lanes for other playmakers such as Davante Adams and Kyren Williams.
The Rams have so many weapons that opposing defenses haven’t been able to shut them down. Even if they stop Nacua, they have to worry about Adams, Tyler Higbee, and guys like Tutu Atwell, with whom Stafford has good connections. With the 49ers’ offense coming in without multiple starters, the offense is going to have a ton of great opportunities.
49ers Plagued With Injuries
The 49ers dropped a tough game to the Jacksonville Jaguars last week in Brock Purdy’s return. The offense had its fair share of struggles, losing the game due to four costly turnovers. The storyline came after the whistle blew, between Jaguars Head Coach Liam Cohen and 49ers Defensive Coordinator Robert Saleh. Cohen told Saleh to keep his name out of his mouth after Saleh said the Jaguars have an advanced lead signal-stealing-type system.
Here is what Saleh said entering the game: “Liam and his staff coming from Minnesota, they got legally a really advanced signal stealing system where they always find a way to put themselves in an advantageous situation. They do a great job of it. We have to be great with our signals. Be great with our communication to combat some of those tells we might give on the field.”
The 49ers will try to pull off a miracle against the Rams this week, as they will be missing multiple key players on offense. Brock Purdy, Ricky Pearsall, and Jauan Jennings will all miss tonight’s game. Mac Jones will look to lead the 49ers to a bounce-back win as severe underdogs. Saleh will need to contain a dominant Rams offense to try to put Jones in favorable field positions.
Key Matchups
Matchup #1: Christian McCaffrey vs. Rams Defensive Line. The Rams have done an incredible job stopping opposing running backs, and that will be their main focus tonight. Missing multiple WRs along with their starting tight end means that San Francisco is going to try to establish the run game early, and the Rams need to shut it down. If they can stop McCaffrey, the secondary should have no issues going up against 2nd and 3rd string receivers.
Matchup #2: Puka Nacua and Davante Adams vs. 49ers Secondary. The Eagles had success in stopping the Rams’ passing game, and the 49ers need to follow the same blueprint and take advantage of any mistakes that Stafford will make tonight. San Francisco will also have to worry about Kyren Williams, so Saleh will have a tough assignment.
The 49ers will have to overcome many obstacles to be able to hang with Los Angeles tonight. They need to play clean football and limit the turnovers that they had against the Jaguars last week. As for the Rams, they need Jared Verse to get after Jones. Verse has a sack in each of his last two games and will look to make it three in a row tonight.
