If you grew up in the 1980s, this was one of the premier rivalries in the NFL Since 1999, it’s rare for both the Los Angeles Rams (1-1) and San Francisco 49ers (0-2) to be good at the same time, but way less rare for them both to suck ass through a straw. The future for both teams are a little brighter after a couple of off-season coaching changes. Now it’s an arms race to see which team can get out of the toilet first.
This will be the first official offensive slugfest between new Rams head coach Sean McVay and new 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. They were two of the big three offensive coordinators to go after head coaching jobs last season, with only the Patriots’ Josh McDaniels bowing out of a head coaching job. This rivalry will only get more intense as both teams add players over the next few years to compliment their offensive styles.
I’ll be live blogging the game as always here at Get More Sports. Check back around 8:25 p.m. EST. It’ll be a color rush game and broadcast only on the the NFL Network.
The Game: Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco 49ers (+2.5)
O/U: 39.5
The History
Thanks to a command performance by former Rams head coach Jeff Fisher, the 49ers have taken a four-game lead in the all time series, 68-64-3.
The rivalry stretches all the way back to 1950 when San Francisco first joined the NFL as an expansion team. While the Rams won five of the first six match ups, the 49ers got in a solid ass kicking in their first victory over Los Angeles, 44-17 on October, 28, 1951.
The 49ers’ longest win streak in the series may be one of the longest in the history of the sport. From December, 1990 to December, 1998, San Francisco won 17 consecutive games over the Rams, spanning two cities (L.A. and St. Louis) and two different S.F. head coaches (George Seifert and Steve Mariucci). For Los Angeles/St. Louis, the losing streak came at the hands of John Robinson, Chuck Knox, Rich Brooks and Dick Vermeil. Joe Montana kicked off the unprecedented series of ass kickings in 1990, with Steve Young contributing most of heavy lifting over the decade and Steve Bono, Elvis Grbac and, in one inglorious instance, Jim Druckenmiller, all getting their shot at the victory.
It may shock you to learn that the longest Los Angeles/St. Louis win streak wasn’t in the Greatest Show on Turf era, but instead in the 1970s. Rams great Roman Gabriel started a 10-game streak in October, 1971 that lasted through starts by Pat Haden, James Harris, Ron Jaworski, John Hadl and Vince Ferragamo.
While he was the starting quarterback for the Rams, Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner was a perfect 6-0 against San Francisco, breaking the aforementioned 17-game streak with a 42-20 win in 1999 and ending with a 27-14 win in December, 2001.
LOS ANGELES RAMS (1-1)
The Rams dropped last week’s game against the Washington Redskins with a pretty sad interception on the first play of what could have been a game winning drive. Instead, it hung head coach Sean McVay with his first loss and showed that quarterback Jared Goff, though much improved, still has plenty to learn as an NFL quarterback.
More concerning than Goff’s late pick was the performance of the defense. Wade Phillips’ squad gave up 229 rushing yards and two touchdowns to the Redskins, with three of Washington’s backs going for 67 yards or more. Starting cornerback Kayvon Webster didn’t practice this week and it’s safe bet he won’t play. The rest of the defense is healthy and Phillips knows his team needs to make a statement against the run, vowing improvement this week.
Don’t be surprised to see Sammy Watkins show up more in the game plan this week. Watkins has made key catches in the Rams’ first two games, but has yet to have a breakout moment. Against the San Francisco defensive backfield, this could be the week.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (0-2)
First off, the 49ers have to find a healthy safety to put on the field. Starter Eric Reid is definitely out with a knee injury. The oft-injured Jimmie Ward is, and I hope you are sitting down, injured again, dealing with a hamstring. He’s questionable as is back up safety Jaquiski Tartt.
Rookie Reuben Foster won’t play and there’s a chance he’ll be joined on the bench by fellow linebacker Eli Harold.
Carlos Hyde had a strong showing against the Seahawks last week, carrying the ball 15 times for 124 yards, but the team did not produce a touchdown. Brian Hoyer looked downright pitiful, completed 15 of 27 passes for just 99 yards and a pick. He’ll be under siege any time he drops back to pass by Aaron Donald and Robert Quinn.
Hoyer is having a particularly bad start, even for him. Usually he’s OK if there’s no pressure to actually win, but that’s not been the case in San Francisco. In two games, Hoyer has completed 62.9 percent of his passes for 292 yards total, no touchdowns and two interceptions for a quarterback rating of 60.7. He also lost a fumble.
No San Francisco receiver caught more than three passes against the Seahawks. When Hoyer does have time, there should be more openings in a depleted Los Angeles secondary for Pierre Garcon and Marquise Goodwin. This could be a game where a guy like Trent Taylor has a breakout performance against a weak Rams nickle package and hot reads to hold off the pass rush.
While the Rams offensive line is better than Seattle’s, there should still be a chance for Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner to make life tough for Goff in the backfield. The 49ers sacked Russell Wilson three times last week and Goff isn’t nearly as fleet of foot.
The Pick
Though the line is less than a field goal, I don’t see this one as being that close. Todd Gurley and Sammy Watkins both pick up their first 100 yard games of the season and Aaron Donald notches a couple of sacks. Rams 27, 49ers 13
Last week
Straight up: 11-5
Against the spread: 8-8
Season
Straight up: 21-10
Against the spread: 16-15
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