Prediction: Rams over Niners, 30-21
The San Francisco 49ers appears to have the Los Angeles Rams’ number.
The Rams have lost to San Francisco three straight times dating back to last year, and seven of the last 10 contests against the Niners.
However, once again San Francisco comes into the contest banged up, with Nick Mullens starting a quarterback for Jimmy Garoppolo, who’s still out with a high-ankle sprain. The Rams are 7-point favorites and 4-0 at SoFi Stadium so far this year.
Like the previous contest, the Niners also are missing players due to injury and the COVID-19 list.
Still, Rams head coach Sean McVay expects to get San Francisco’s best from L.A.’s NFC West division rival coached by friend Kyle Shanahan.
“We know what a great team this is,” McVay said. “It was brought up earlier this week, we haven’t beat them in a while and we’ve got to be at our best to go get our eighth win. Looking forward to the opportunity to compete.”
Matchup microscope
The Niners ran roughshod over the Rams in the previous matchup this season -- a Week 6, 24-16 win for San Francisco -- totaling 122 rushing yards. The Niners also had some big plays on shuffle passes that basically were runs. L.A. had no answer for Raheem Mostert and Deebo Samuel, as San Francisco used a variety of perimeter plays to stay away from Aaron Donald, testing the Rams’ ability to keep contain. Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley understands limiting San Francisco's explosive plays starts with containing the Niners’ diverse running attack. “I felt like our edges in that game weren’t to our standard and it forced our linebackers to kind of have to get to places that they don't normally have to get to,” Staley said. “I thought our tackling was just a little off in that first half and they have a lot to do with that. They have runners with real speed and their skill players, Deebo Samuel, in that game in particular, he’s like a running back, has a lot of running back traits. They ran hard and we needed to play better at the beginning of that game. I thought once we got settled, we were fine. But certainly, this team and the way they play, you have to have your stuff ready at the beginning, or else they'll expose you.”
One to watch
Mullens is an NFL quarterback who knows San Francisco’s system well and can execute it. However, he’s a backup for a reason. Donald and the rest of L.A.’s defensive front needs to put pressure on Mullens and see if he will give up the football. The Ram’s first order of business defensively should be stopping San Francisco’s potent running attack. After that, forcing Mullens to make tough throws should be next on the agenda. Mullens has a 4-8 record as a starter with 18 turnovers. The Rams should be able to force some mistakes by Mullens.
Fun to watch
Richard Sherman is back. The Pro Bowl corner has been out since the start of the regular season with a calf injury. Sherman has been taken off the injured reserve list and is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game. Sherman, 32, has been one of the best to ever play the position, with 35 career interceptions in 10 NFL seasons. But Jason Verrett, playing opposite of Sherman, is playing at a high level right now. Verrett had an interception and two pass breakups the last time these two teams played. The Rams should test Sherman and see how well he’s moving coming back from the injury.
Key to the game
The Rams are coming off a short week due to the team’s win over the Tampa Bay Bucs on Monday Night Football. They did not get much field time this week because of the COVID-19 scare. However, McVay said the players got good rest, and he expects them to be ready. Sunday’s game is all about execution and motivation. The Rams are the better team, but they have to play with energy early in the contest, dousing the Niners’ hope that they have a chance to sneak up on L.A. again. The Rams also have to get going on offense, with playmakers like Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp and Darrell Henderson Jr. setting the tone.
Prediction
Rams 31, Niners 20
