It’s a two-way battle for supremacy in the NFC West in 2021. The Rams are on the heels of the Cardinals entering Week 10 at 7-2. Meanwhile, the 49ers are battling for third place with the Seahawks at just 3-5. Monday night is the first meeting between the Rams and 49ers this season.
Divisional play has been rough for the 49ers through eight games. Actually, any team with a winning record has had their way with head coach Kyle Shanahan’s squad. Their only three wins come against the Lions, Eagles, and Bears, who combine for a 6-18 record. Three of San Francisco’s five losses are to fellow NFC West members, including two losses to the Cardinals.
For the Rams, it’s been the season most expected. Matthew Stafford has fit nicely into Sean McVay’s offense. Additionally, the rapport Stafford has found with wide receiver Cooper Kupp could lead to broken records before the season concludes.
The Sean McVay offense is built off of a balanced approach while establishing the running game. When Darrell Henderson is running well, the Rams’ play-action builds into the offense and creates more opportunities across the board. Adding Beckham into any offensive scheme improves their ceiling. With Cooper Kupp already performing at an elite level, the Rams now have four impressive pass catchers with Beckham, Kupp, Robert Woods, and Van Jefferson at their disposal. Anyone not named Kupp will likely see a slight decrease in target share, but the coverage from opposing defenses will be much more straight up for the remainder of the season. After losing DeSean Jackson, Beckham provides another deep threat to take the top off of defenses.
Assuming the Rams’ offense doesn’t put the defense in poor positions, the Rams should be able to hold their own defensively. The 49ers have not had any consistency at the quarterback position this season and nothing suggests that will end this week. With both Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance having already suffered injuries this season, resulting in infrequent playing time, who knows what each week will bring. It appears 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan remains committed to Garoppolo, holding the starting nod instead of grooming the rookie Lance. However, there is a chance the Rams get looks at both quarterbacks throughout the night with specific packages centered around Lance’s capabilities. This game could perhaps be the first look at Miller in a Rams uniform if his ankle checks out ahead of game time, chasing down the 49ers’ two passers.
Pick of the Game: Los Angeles Rams -3.5
Against the spread (ATS), the Rams are 3-8 against the 49ers in their last 11 games. Furthermore, the 49ers are 1-5 ATS over their last six games this year. Since the two teams have yet to play in 2021, we don’t have any head-to-head data on which to base a decision. Nevertheless, expect the Rams to come out strong after they struggled against the Titans last week. The lack of a proper quarterback behind center for San Francisco 49ers will be the final nail in the coffin.
