MNF: 49ers vs Rams Prediction and Game Thread

Rams and 49ers square off in an NFC West division rivalry game

Monday Night Football, Week 4. Tonight we have an NFC West grudge match between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams. The 49ers will be hosting this game in San Francisco. In days of yore we’d have people saying things like “these two teams just don’t like each other,” and “you can throw out the records when these two teams meet,” and similar cliches.

The 2-1 Rams opened the season with a blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills, but they have since righted the ship with consecutive victories over the Atlanta Falcons and the Arizona Cardinals. The Rams have uncharacteristically struggled on offense this season, ranking 29th in the NFL in yards per rushing attempt and 16th in yards per passing attempt. They’ve also turned the ball over 7 times in 3 games, ranking 31st in the NFL in that category. They have done a better job on defense, ranking in the top 10 in rushing defense while fielding a roughly average pass defense. The one area they’ve really shined on defense is in generating turnovers, where they rank 3rd in the NFL with 7 turnovers. Overall this Rams team has been slow to get untracked for a team thought to be a Super Bowl contender coming into this season.

The 1-2 49ers sport the #1 defense in the NFL, yet they have a losing record due to their offensive ineptitude. The 49ers lost starting quarterback Trey Lance for the season to injury after just 2 games. Former starter Jimmy Garoppolo has come on in relief, and he has struggled to get much going on offense. The 49ers have scored just 10 points in 2 out of their 3 games this season. That anemic offensive output has squandered a superb defensive effort that has seen the team allow just 37 total points in 3 games.

The 49ers have dominated this rivalry recently, taking 4 of the last 5 games between these two teams. I have little conviction one way or the other in this game, but I’m going with the 49ers to hold serve at home over the Rams. I have submitted my pick using the widget from our partners at Tallysight. You can follow all my picks throughout the season, as I prove for another season how I’m not made to be a gambler. Seriously, I cannot stress enough how bad an idea it would be to bet real money based on my picks. Don’t do it. Don’t even consider it. Make your own picks, and good luck. And if you do bet, consider using our friends at DraftKings Sportsbook.

Let us know your pick below, and use this thread to discuss the game.