Welcome back for another exciting week of San Francisco 49ers football! And by exciting, I mean just hoping they don't embarrass themselves like they did against the Seattle Seahawks. When you sack the opposing quarterback five times and secure two interceptions, you should probably score more than three points. It was not to be, so we'll see if that changes this week.
The 49ers travel east for a divisional matchup against the St. Louis Rams. The game is airing on FOX, kicking off at 10 a.m. PT. The announcers will be Dick Stockton and David Diehl, with Kristina Pink on the sideline. It is a fairly regional broadcast, which is not exactly shocking considering the two teams involved. My favorite thing though is that somehow it will be airing across southeast Asia for some reason.
The 49ers head into this game sitting at 2-5, and in the cellar of the NFC West. The Rams are 3-3, a game and a half back of the Arizona Cardinals, and half a game ahead of the Seattle Seahawks. The Rams have wins over both teams, with the bigger one currently looking like the road win over the Cardinals. While they are 2-0 in the division, the 49ers sit at 0-2, with little in the way of signs of life heading into their third divisional game.
Entering this week, when I saw the line climb up to 8.5 points, and in some places as high as 9.5, I was tempted by the 49ers. Getting 8.5-points from Nick Foles and Jeff Fisher seems like a no-brainer most times. Of course, this 49ers team is not exactly "most times". The 49ers biggest flaws are areas that seem likely to lead to serious problems. The offensive line is struggling, and the Rams defensive line is a beast of a unit. Football Outsiders ranks them third against the run, and second in the pass rush. This could get really ugly, really quickly for a 49ers offense that tends to go into a shell when they fall behind by more than a touchdown.
The situation only gets worse with injuries leaving the offense in a tough spot. Anquan Boldin and Carlos Hyde are both listed as questionable. Boldin aggravated a hamstring injury on Thursday, and Hyde is dealing with a stress fracture in his foot. Having those two at less than 100 percent does not make this situation any easier. Even if both can go, they are likely to be somewhat limited. That means more playing time for Quinton Patton, Bruce Ellington (maybe?), Jerome Simpson (if active), Reggie Bush, Mike Davis, and Jarryd Hayne (if active).
Divisional games can lead to some crazy happenings, and Jeff Fisher and Nick Foles remain on the other side line, but I have grown more and more skeptical about this game.
Nuts and bolts
49ers injury report
Location: Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, MO
Game time: Sunday, November 1, 10:00 a.m. PT
TV channel: CBS
Online streaming: NFL Game Pass on replay
49ers Radio: 680-AM, 107.7 (Ted Robinson, Tim Ryan) | Full listings
Announcers: Dick Stockton, David Diehl, Kristina Pink
Spanish Radio: KTRB 860-AM (Jesus Zarate, Luis Landero)
Odds: 49ers +8.5
Matchup history: 65-63-3
Enemy blog: Turf Show Times
Twitter: @ninersnation
Facebook: Go ahead and give us a like!
49ers regular season schedule
Week 1: vs. Minnesota Vikings - 49ers 20, Vikings 3
Week 2: @ Pittsburgh Steelers - Steelers 43, 49ers 18
Week 3: @ Arizona Cardinals - Cardinals 47, 49ers 7
Week 4: vs. Green Bay Packers - Packers 17, 49ers 3
Week 5: @ New York Giants Giants 30, 49ers 27
Week 6: vs. Baltimore Ravens - 49ers 25, Ravens 20
Week 7: vs. Seattle Seahawks - Seahawks 20, 49ers 3
Week 8: @ St. Louis Rams - Sunday, November 1, 10:00 a.m. FOX
Week 9: vs. Atlanta Falcons - Sunday, November 8, 1:05 p.m. FOX
Week 10: BYE
Week 11: @ Seattle Seahawks - Sunday, November 22, 1:25 p.m. FOX
Week 12: vs. Arizona Cardinals - Sunday, November 29, 1:05 p.m. FOX
Week 13: @ Chicago Bears - Sunday, December December 6, 10:00 a.m. FOX
Week 14: @ Cleveland Browns - Sunday, December 13, 10:00 a.m. FOX
Week 15: vs. Cincinnati Bengals - Sunday, December 20, 5:30 p.m. NBC (SNF)
Week 16: @ Detroit Lions - Sunday, December 27, 10:00 a.m. FOX
Week 17: vs. St. Louis Rams - Sunday, January 3, 1:25 p.m. FOX