Opponent Profile: 49ers Take On Rams For The Second Time In A Month
By Jerrell Richardson
St. Louis Rams (2-5)
Head Coach: Jeff Fisher
Players To Watch: Austin Davis, Zac Stacy, Robert Quinn, James Laurinaitis, Alec Ogletree
When the 49ers hit the field next they will see some very familiar faces. Not only are they playing a fellow NFC West member, but they are also playing St. Louis for the second time in a month. The Rams are notorious for playing San Francisco tough, but this game is exactly what San Francisco needed.
The 49ers are well rested, have had two weeks to prepare for their opponent and are at home. When the two teams met in Week 6, St. Louis did all they could to keep the game close, but eventually could not keep pace with the more talented 49ers. This game should be much of the same, as the only real concern for San Francisco is if they will show any signs of rust after their layoff.
What really aids San Francisco as they gear up for this game is their mediocre start. By sitting at just 4-3, they know that this is an important game, and they can’t afford to overlook their opponent. Look for the 49ers to come out and make a statement at the expense of the visiting team. It will again take another half or so, but San Francisco will cruise to their fifth win of 2014, and sweep the season series against St. Louis.
When St. Louis Has the Ball: Advantage 49ers
The Rams offense scored 17 points a few weeks ago against the San Francisco defense and will be lucky to get to that number again. They are already dealing with multiple injuries, and this past week lost offensive tackle Jake Long and the team’s leading receiver, Brian Quick to season ending injuries. St. Louis still has playmakers on the field and if able to get over the mental thought of being without two key offensive pieces will require the 49er defense to be on their toes.
Quarterback Austin Davis leads an offense that is ranked 19th in the league both running and passing the ball, and has shown flashes of brilliance, but the backup has been unable to consistently play well for an entire game. The last time he saw this defense he was given a 14-0 lead and still struggled. With a San Francisco defense that is rested and will have most of their starters available, San Francisco clearly has the leg up in this matchup.
With Quick out, Davis will look primarily to tight end Jared Cook as well as receivers Kenny Britt and Tavon Austin, however, none of these receiving threats strike fear in the defense. The 49er players on the field, including Perrish Cox, Eric Reid and Patrick Willis, are talented enough to blanket Davis' targets and force the Rams into running the ball.
St. Louis almost broke 100 on the ground against the 49ers in their first meeting, falling just seven yards shy, but they really didn’t have success running the ball. Of the 93 yards, 40 of those were by Tre Mason on just five carries, so it’s not as though the Rams were running the ball at will. As a whole, San Francisco shut down the Rams running game, limiting the main two backs to a combined 38 yards on 15 carries.
Despite the drubbing at the hands of the Broncos, the San Francisco defense is still ranked eighth against the pass and fourth against the rush, so it will be hard sledding for the Rams to move the ball. St. Louis will have issues sustaining drives, which will ultimately lead to a comfortable 49er victory.
When San Francisco Has the Ball: Advantage 49ers
In the prior meeting, the San Francisco aerial attack really got it going, especially in in the second half when they scored 21 of their 31 points. Kaepernick threw for 343 yards and three touchdowns while Anquan Boldin and Stevie Johnson had extremely productive games. The fact that the passing game was so successful is a bad sign for the Rams, who enter this game last in the NFL defending the run. What this means is that the Rams will essentially have to pick their poison, and if lucky, can shut down the 49ers rushing attack for the second time this year.
Frank Gore was held to 38 yards on 16 carries in the prior meeting and will hope to have a better game at home. It’s almost puzzling how ineffective he and the running game was when considering how bad the Rams have been against everyone else. However, when they meet before it was the game plan of the Rams to force the 49ers to beat them through the air. Although Kaepernick had a field day, this figures to be the smartest game plan against the 49ers, who are ranked 20th throwing the ball, compared to their rushing attack, which is 10th in the league. It will be interesting to see how the Rams play this one as forcing Colin Kaepernick to beat them with his arm was a grave mistake a few weeks ago. Do they adjust or dare Kaepernick to do it again?
No Better Opponent
When looking at their schedule, outside of the Raiders, there is not a remaining opponent the 49ers would rather face at this point than the Rams. It’s a relatively easy win and the perfect opponent after a bye. San Francisco needs to start building momentum and collecting wins. Who better to do that against than the worst team in the division - in Santa Clara and after the 49ers have had a week to rest up?
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Jerrell Richardson is a Bay Area native who due to a college career at San Diego State University has grown an appreciation for all things sports related in California. His heart will always remain in San Francisco though where he currently resides and covers everything from the San Francisco 49ers and Giants to the San Jose Sharks and California Bears Baseball team. Jerrell is a freelance writer covering all things NFL. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
