49ers TE George Kittle Previews Week 18 Game vs. Rams: 'It's Going to be Kind of a Bodybag Game'
The Los Angeles Rams have lost five consecutive games to the San Francisco 49ers. Truly, the 49ers have their number, as L.A.'s last win against their in-state rival dates back to the 2018 season.
On Sunday, the Rams have the opportunity to become the winner of the NFC West and keep ahold of the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoff picture with a win over the 49ers.
The two teams met earlier this season in Week 10 when San Francisco bullied their way to a convincing 31-10 win over L.A. on Monday Night Football.
The Rams, who committed turnovers on each of their first two offensive possessions in their first meeting in San Francisco, were also exploited on the defensive side of the ball. Kyle Shanahan's run-heavy offense busted through the Rams' defensive front, recording 156 rushing yards across 44 attempts.
Undoubtedly, the Rams lost the physicality battle at the line of scrimmage. The 49ers, like many of their games, remained committed to the run despite the defense presumably knowing it was coming. The issue for the Rams – even though their defense anticipated Shanahan to dial-up an abundance of runs – they had no answers to slowing down the San Francisco ground-and-pound attack.
49ers tight end George Kittle, who's highly regarded among the league's most complete tight ends due to his willingness to offer support as a blocker, told Bay Area reporters on Thursday that he believes Sunday's game will hinge on the physical aspect.
"I think it's going to definitely show up this Sunday about who is the more physical team and it's going to be kind of a bodybag game, in my opinion," Kittle said.
Kittle hauled in five grabs for 50 yards and a touchdown in Week 10. But the 49ers only threw the ball 19 times in their initial meeting against the Rams, which left Kittle heavily relied on as an inline blocker. He paved the way alongside the offensive tackles, attempting to set up holes for the run game.
Deebo Samuel, who the 49ers have rotated in as a running back along with his contributions as a pass-catcher this season, was given some sound words from Kittle while previewing this weekend's showdown.
“He’s trying to knock mouthpieces out," Kittle said of Samuel. "He’s trying to body guys. It’s a physical game and he’s out there embarrassing fools."
The chatter is ramping up with the tone being set, and with playoff-seeding implications at stake, this is a game that each team may throw the kitchen sink at one another in order to secure a victory in the regular-season finale.
More from Ram Digest:
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- Rams vs. 49ers Week 18 Preview: NFC West Rivals Clash With Playoff Implications at Stake
- 49ers Add Another Player to Reserve/COVID-19 List, Bringing Total to Six Ahead of Game vs. Rams
- Matthew Stafford Looks to Draw From Previous Meeting vs. 49ers to Overcome Mistakes
- Rams Announce Two Roster Moves, Inking Brandon Powell to Active Roster
- Rams' Wednesday Injury Report for Week 18 vs. 49ers
- NFL Exploring Alternative Host Cities for Super Bowl LVI Amid COVID-19 Concerns
- What Cooper Kupp Needs to Achieve on Sunday to Break Calvin Johnson's Single-Season Receiving Record
- SI Power Rankings: Rams Take a Dip as Regular Season Draws to a Close
Nick Cothrel is the publisher of Ram Digest. Follow Nick and Ram Digest on Twitter @NickCothrel & @RamDigestSI for more Rams coverage.
