So it’s come to this. The Los Angeles Rams and a Jimmy Garoppolo-less 49ers team. The Rams had to happen, a game against the NFL’s elite was a must. Though we all may have liked it better if we had Jimmy G.
Nevertheless, it’s time for the 49ers to play one of the best teams in the NFC. The Minnesota Vikings have shown they have their issues, the Lions coughed up a win, and the 49ers managed to hold their own against the Kansas City Chiefs. That’s the elite of the 49ers opponents. Maybe we toss the Los Angeles Chargers into this.
The Rams are undefeated. And in the division. And the 49ers are without Jimmy Garoppolo. Do they have a chance? Well...
The 49ers will win if
If the Rams don’t get off the bus.
All jokes aside, this could be a fun game akin to last year’s Thursday Night Football game where Brian Hoyer looked like Tom Brady until the last few minutes where he remembered he was Brian Hoyer. The only way that happens is if C.J. Beathard can again forget he’s C.J. Beathard. Beathard isn’t the only person, the 49ers pass catchers will also need to deliver and not have any of the bad drops we’ve come accustomed to. They managed to do pretty well against the Green Bay Packers en route to laying 30 points on them. The Rams main threat on defense is their pass rush, so if the 49ers can establish a solid running game and buy Beathard enough time to just get some intermediate throws out—they might just win this. Well, unless...
The 49ers will lose if
They can’t get the running game going. At this point, I have no faith in the defense holding down the Rams, who have one of the top offensive lines in the league. My friends, if you put a paltry pass-rush on the best O-line, you know it’s not going to end well for one side. So the Rams are going to score. It’s a matter of how little they score. This is where the running game comes in. Sure the Rams have an elite pass rush, but their run defense isn’t near as good. The 49ers need to kill the clock immediately and put the Rams on their heels with Matt Breida and co. If the 49ers can’t get the run game going to chew precious time up, they are dead in the water, because asking this defense to do anything game-saving is just asking for too much.