Will the Rams Smash the 49ers' Season?
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If you had asked me two short weeks ago, I would've told you that the 49ers owned the Rams. But after a loss to the Falcons and getting blown out by the Chiefs, I'm not so confident anymore.
In Week 4 at Levi's the 49ers beat the Rams 24-9, but they had Emmanuel Moseley, who is now gone for the season. Arik Armstead played half as many snaps as Nick Bosa did. Dre Greenlaw didn't have a strained calf. Charvarius "Mooney" Ward didn't have a groin pull and neither did Bosa. Jimmie Ward wasn't playing with a broken hand while trying to get back into game shape. Samson Ebukam didn't have a sore Achilles' tendon. Trent Williams was out, but Colton McKivitz played well. Maybe better than Williams, who is currently playing with a high ankle sprain that doesn't seem to be fully healed. Mike McGlinchey didn't have a strained calf. Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings didn't both have pulled hamstrings. Kyle Juszczyk didn't have a broken finger, which will keep him out. Most have a chance of playing, but playing well is another story altogether.
The Rams didn't have center Brian Allen or wide receiver Van Jefferson. They were missing their No. 2 cornerback Troy Hill and their No. 3 cornerback David Long. All appear to be ready to play this Sunday.
Some good news for the 49ers is that cornerback Jason Verrett has been activated off of the PUP list. As much as the 49ers need him this week, it might make sense to not have his first game in nearly 14 months be played on artificial turf. The next five games will all be on grass, which would allow Verrett to to slowly and more safely work himself back into game shape.
More good news is that Christian McCaffrey should be fully integrated in the offense. This could be a massive boost. Especially if Samuel can't play.
Despite getting Brian Allen back, the Rams offensive line still appears to be exploitable. Matthew Stafford is likely to turn the ball over, as only one quarterback in the NFL has more turnovers than him this season. Van Jefferson is a legitimate deep threat, but he's likely to be rusty in his first game back for the 2022 season. Troy Hill might be rusty as well, as he has barely played since Week 1.
My big concern is the Rams run defense, which ranks No. 2 defensive value over average (DVOA). Teams that can stop the run can usually stop Kyle's offense.
I don't think the 49ers offense will score much. They scored only 17 points in Week 4, when Talanoa Hufanga's pick-six got the team to 24 points. As bad as the Rams offense has been, the 49ers defense has been worse recently. I still believe in the defense, but it might've been a little overrated, and then it got injured. The good news is that most of the injured players are supposed to return at some point this season. Before the season began, I thought the 49ers re-vamped special teams might push them over the top, but there has been little to no improvement there for the 2022 season. Too many drops. Too many penalties. Too many turnovers.
The 49ers Faithful should outnumber Rams fans at Levi's South this Sunday, but not by nearly as much as they did in Week 4 at the real Levi's stadium. Some have said that crowd noise allegedly is pumped into SoFi stadium to augment the anemic Rams attendee's cheering efforts. Who knows?
As of now, I'm picking the Rams to headbutt the 49ers season off of a cliff.
If most or all of Arik Armstead, Dre Greenlaw, Deebo Samuel, Samson Ebukam, Jauan Jennings and Jason Verrett can play, then I might change my mind. I will reply to this article, about an hour prior to kickoff, with my official score prediction. Once we know who will play and who won't.
