Niners Nation
The San Francisco 49ers will be on the road without three of their most important offensive players against a Los Angeles Rams team that is undefeated at home.
At SoFi Stadium, Matthew Stafford has completed over 70 percent of his passes with four touchdowns and zero turnovers. On the other side of the ball, the Rams’ defense is fourth in EPA per play and sixth in success rate allowed. Can Kyle Shanahan and Robert Saleh do enough to stay competitive, where the offense has the ball last, to have a chance to win?
Let’s discuss what it’ll take for that to happen. First, let’s see how the Rams got here.
The Rams are 3-1, but we don’t have to pretend like they’ve been world beaters through four weeks. They have a +19 point differential compared to the 49ers’ +5 point differential.
Injuries take the cake, but the second-biggest difference between these two teams is the difference in turnovers. The Rams are +3, while the 49ers are -5, which ranks them as the third-worst team in the NFL.
The Rams were down 6-0 for much of the first half to the Houston Texans in Week 1, before a two-minute touchdown. After a Texans field goal before the half, the Rams’ touchdown to begin the third quarter would be the final score in that game. A C.J. Stroud third-quarter interception would be the closest Houston would come to scoring.
Los Angeles’s Week 2 opponent might be the first team to fire its head coach. Their Week 3 opponent won the Super Bowl last year. It was a game Los Angeles controlled on the scoreboard, but it never felt like that while watching it.
Up 26-7, thanks to an Eagles fumble to start the third quarter, Philadelphia needed 2:28 to trim the lead to 26-14. After forcing a three-and-out, the Eagles went on an 87-yard drive, with no play longer than 16 yards, to make it a one-possession game at 26-21.
Kyren Williams was stopped in the backfield on 4th & 1. However, Jalen Hurts was sacked on third down, then threw an incomplete pass to A.J. Brown from midfield, gifting Los Angeles the ball with 12:18 left in the fourth quarter to take a commanding lead.
The Rams had a field goal blocked. The Eagles go down and score in a 17-play, back-breaking 91-yard drive to take a 27-26 lead. Los Angeles gets in position for another field goal, but sees their kick blocked for the second consecutive time for a heartbreaking loss. The reality was they were thoroughly outplayed in the second half.
Last week’s result is why 49ers’ fans should have at least some hope heading into Thursday night. The Colts lost 27-20, despite having an 81 percent win expectancy with four minutes to play. Wide receiver AD Mitchell fumbled the ball out of the end zone and nullified another touchdown late in the fourth quarter with a holding penalty. Those...
