The Rams take on the 49ers this week on Thursday Night Football.
Last week we saw both the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams lose in tough fashion to teams that, before the season started, were almost universally regarded as better teams. Yet we saw San Francisco’s defense play a tough game against a Seattle team everyone expected to win in resounding fashion and were able to limit them to 12 points scored in total. In Los Angeles, we saw a Rams defense stifle a passing attack that finished 3rd last year in total offense and was only bested by the New Orlean Saints in the passing game. So what can we expect Thursday when the Rams travel to San Francisco to play under the lights in a divisional matchup that will garner less than stellar reviews going into the game?
Let’s get to the meat and potatoes of the issue and start by looking at what the San Francisco 49ers were able to do against the overwhelming favorites in the Seattle Seahawks last week. Let’s address the elephant in the room right off the bat. Carlos Hyde looked great. I mean, he went up against a defensive front in Seattle that only gave up 3.4 yards per attempt and ranked 7th overall last year in total rush defense. Hyde rose to the challenge and got 124 yards total on 15 carries leaving him with an 8.3 ypc and a long of 61 yards. The 49ers are going to need that type of production out of Hyde to be successful and I believe have a legitimate shot at doing so. The Rams let last week’s game with the Redskins slip through their fingers and it was because they lost their battle with-in the trenches. They allowed 229(!) rushing yards to the Redskins and allowed 5.9 yards per attempt. This is where the ground and pound narrative is going to stem from. This game will come down to who can run the ball against the other better.
Which brings us to two weeks ago where the 49ers had just lost one of their new shiny toys in rookie 1st round selection Reuben Foster against the Carolina Panthers to a high ankle sprain. This was a huge blow to the 49ers defense as Foster had been playing exceptionally well in his first game and the 49er defense had been limiting what Carolina had been able to do fairly well. I would’ve loved to have seen the difference Foster would have been able to make if healthy in the game against Seattle. I am disappointed that he won’t be back for at least two more weeks.This is an understated detriment to the San Francisco defense and yet Seattle was still This is an understated detriment to the San Francisco defense and yet Seattle was still only able to manage to get 312 yards of total offense including a meager 181 yards through the air. As good as Jared Goff has been this year and with the positive strides he’s made as a quarterback in his second year, he’s still no Russell Wilson. Beyond that, even with the addition of Sammy Watkins and Cooper Kupp, I still don’t think the Rams possess the air game weapons that the Seahawks do. This bodes well for San Francisco. Especially considering that the weakest part of the Los Angeles team as a whole is their offensive line. When Goff steps back in the pocket I think you’re going to see DeForest Buckner and that San Francisco front feast on the sophomore play caller. In fact, the only touchdown that the Seahawks were able to score on the San Francisco defense was when Russell Wilson escaped the pocket and created enough time for himself to find Paul Richardson in the end zone. You just won’t see that from Jared Goff. He doesn’t possess the same athleticism as Russell Wilson and I think you’re going to see a lot more sacks from the 49ers defensive front. If the Rams are going to win this game it’s going to have to be on the ground with Todd Gurley.
This is where it gets murky for the team from San Francisco. Chris Carson and the Seattle offensive line were able to torch the San Francisco defense for 93 yards on 20 carries leaving him with a 4.65 ypc for the day. Let me remind you that this was behind one of the worst offensive lines in football. Luckily for San Francisco, it doesn’t get much harder when they face off against the Rams. The only problem is the guy running behind them. Todd Gurley is going to have to have a monster day if the Rams are going to come out of this with a win.
Will Todd Gurley be able to do this though? I’m not entirely sold. Yes he is going to be fed the ball 15+ times, yes I think he’ll see the end zone at least once, and yes you should be starting him in your fantasy leagues. This is a no-brainer here. The potential upside is just too hard to ignore. The problem is that San Francisco is going to be able to do something against the Rams that they weren’t able to do against Seattle and that’s a passing game and that’s stack eight in the box consistently. Todd Gurley is going to see fewer holes than you’d find on a gravel country road. They’re going to force Jared Goff to keep them honest on the defensive side of the ball and although I think he has a rough day and will spend more time on the ground than Aretha Franklin, I think he gets the job done well enough to open up enough space to get Gurley what he needs.
This isn’t because I think Sammy Watkins is going to finally break out and have a monster game, and it’s not because I think Cooper Kupp will either although if we’re talking fantasy football I’d start Kupp over Watkins. It’s because of what I saw last week against an underrated Washington defense. Todd Gurley got involved in the passing game and it was glorious. He had two receptions for 15+ yards and scored a touchdown on one of them. This is what is different about the Rams offense this year. If teams are going to stack the box and take away Gurley’s running lanes the Rams are now comfortable enough with both their quarterback and running back to check down and get the yards that way. This is how the Rams are going to open up the necessary lanes for Gurley to be successful on the ground and I foresee it happening Thursday night.
I expect a game that will be close until the end and will be a classic throwback to the ground and pound football of old. A game that will excite the younger crowd with big runs by two of the premier running backs in the league and a game that will be satisfying and nostalgic in nature to those of the more mature demographic. We’re going to see two up and coming defenses slug it out in the spotlight of Thursday night primetime. We’re going to see sacks and something that the NFL has been lackluster in as of late. Hits. Big. Vicious. Hits. This will be a game that is reminiscent of 80’s and early 90’s when offenses weren’t coddled to and you were afraid to run a slant run across the middle unless you were a huge tight end or fullback that could dish out the punishment as well as you could take it. This is what I will be looking for Thursday night and unlike anyone outside of California and hopefully those reading this, I can’t wait.
Final Score: LAR 19 – SF 17
