Going into this season, the St. Louis Rams figured to be part of a very tough NFC West, poised perhaps to be a contender along with the Seahawks, 49ers and Cardinals.
But seven games into the season, the Rams are 2-5 as they head into Sunday’s afternoon matchup with the 4-3 49ers at Levi’s Stadium.
The Niners already beat St. Louis handily, 31-17, on Oct. 13, with the San Francisco defense dominant and the offense electric behind Colin Kaepernick’s best game of the season (343 yards, three TD passes, zero interceptions).
Now the Rams come into the Bay Area not only beaten but battered physically.
St. Louis is without starting quarterback Sam Bradford, top wide receiver Brian Quick and standout left tackle Jake Long, among others.
“Injuries, you have to deal with it,” Rams head coach Jeff Fisher said on a conference call this week.
The 49ers, meanwhile, appear to be much healthier after their bye week. Guard Mike Iupati, linebacker Patrick Willis and defensive backs Chris Culliver and Jimmie Ward all should be back in the lineup after missing the team’s last game against Denver on Oct. 19.
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NFL oddsmakers don’t see the limping Rams as much of a threat. They’ve made the 49ers 11-point favorites for the game that kicks off at 1:05 p.m.
In the first matchup between the teams this year, the Rams defense made a commitment to stop the run, so Kaepernick and Co. went to the air with great success. The Rams remain woeful against the run – they rank 31st in the league in rushing defense – so San Francisco could have a big day running the ball, unless St. Louis takes the same approach again.
The Rams also blitz more than any team in the league (on 44 percent of pass plays), but Kaepernick has been excellent against blitzes. According to ESPN Stats & Info, two of Kaepernick’s TD passes vs. the Rams this season came on blitzes, and he has a 21-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio over his career against blitzes.
Despite his big day against them this season, Kaepernick says the Rams defense can be tough to solve.
“They have a lot of different things they can do,” he told reporters. “Very good defense. We have to be ready for them.”
The stats and the injury reports would say otherwise, and if the 49ers want to stay in the hunt for the NFC West title this season, this is a big week for them. A victory over the Rams will boost the 49ers to 5-3. The 6-1 Cardinals, meanwhile, are playing the 6-2 Cowboys in Texas. A loss by Arizona will tighten things up.
Niners head coach Jim Harbaugh said this week, however, that though the Rams don’t appear to be a threat, they are because of their history with San Francisco as a division rival and the fact they’ve beaten the 49ers before.
“You just turn on the film of all our games with the Rams, and that speaks volumes,” he said.
