NFL
By: George Lopez
The Los Angeles Rams head to Santa Clara this Sunday to take on their bitter rivals, the San Francisco 49ers, in a key NFC West showdown. The Rams are looking to make it 4 straight victories following their 34-10 win over the New Orleans Saints. The Niners are looking to make two consecutive wins following their 34-24 victory over the New York Giants. Both teams know this game has huge ramifications in the NFC West standings.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is quietly having an MVP-caliber season in leading the offense. On the season, Stafford has passed for 2147 yards with 21 touchdowns and 2 interceptions while completing 67% of his passes. Stafford continues not to force the ball into tight coverage and takes what the defense gives him. In the win against the Saints, Stafford completed 24 passes for 281 yards and threw 4 touchdowns. Stafford continues to spread the ball around; however, against the Saints, Stafford got the TEs more involved in the passing game, completing passes to 4 different TEs. Of his 32 pass attempts, Stafford targeted his top two receivers, Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, 15 times. The Niners’ pass defense will key on limiting Nacua and Adams’ production. Look for Stafford to continue to spread the ball around to multiple receivers.
Rams head coach Sean McVay went back to a balanced offensive attack against the Saints, with 32 pass attempts and 43 rushing attempts. RB Kyren Williams led the way with 114 yards on 25 carries. Blake Corum complemented Williams with 58 rushing yards on 13 carries. Niners defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, in his tenure as the Niners’ defensive coordinator, has done a good job defending Coach McVay’s offensive schemes. To try to neutralize the Niners’ pass rush, look for McVay to go to his running game early. With an established running game, Stafford will be more effective in using play action and rolling out of the pocket, a staple in McVay’s offensive attack.
Niners quarterback Brock Purdy is still dealing with a toe injury. If Purdy is not able to play, Mac Jones will lead the Niners offense. In their meeting earlier this season, Jones passed 342 yards and 2 touchdowns. A majority of Jones’ success against the Rams’ defense in those contests was passes completed inside the numbers. Jones did not have much success throwing outside the numbers. Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula used a pass coverage scheme where the Rams secondary played off the ball. If Jones plays, look for Coach Shula to mix up his pass coverage and tighten up the coverage inside the numbers. Niners TE George Kittle, who did not play in the first meeting against the Rams, will play this weekend. Kittle plays a significant role in the Niners’ offense and can be a matchup problem for defenses. Look for the Rams to bracket Kittles with a safety over the top.
Niners RB Christian McCaffrey is showing the form that makes him a nightmare for opposing defenses. McCaffrey leads the Niners offense in both rushing yards with 596 and receiving yards with 626, respectively. The Rams’ edge defenders, led by Jared Verse and Byron Young, will need to stay disciplined and maintain outside leverage to take away the outside running lanes for McCaffrey. The Rams’ interior defensive line will need to get off their blocks and not allow themselves to be turned by the Niners’ offensive line to close up the inside running lanes. The inside linebackers, led by Nate Landman and Omar Speights, will look to provide support both on the inside running lanes and give inside-out pursuit when the Niners backs look to run outside.
The Rams are looking to extract some revenge following their disappointing OT loss to San Francisco in week 5. This game could have an impact on who will win the NFC West, as well as keeping pace with the Seattle Seahawks. Look for the Rams to use a balanced offensive attack and make it 4 straight wins in a hard-fought game against their bitter rivals.
