Two seasons ago, the Rams had the 49ers’ number.
St. Louis tied the 49ers in San Francisco, 24-24, then beat them 16-13 three games later in St. Louis.
With a proven head coach in Jeff Fisher and some exciting new talent added to the organization, the Rams – who finished 7-8-1 in 2012 -- appeared to be a team on the rise in the NFC West.
But last season the Rams lost starting quarterback Sam Bradford and finished 7-9. Now they’ve lost Bradford again and are struggling at 1-3 as the 49ers prepare for their Monday Night matchup in St. Louis at 5:30 p.m. (PDT).
Now that the 49ers have gotten back on track with two consecutive victories to get to 3-2, the Rams appear vulnerable, especially on defense. St. Louis is giving up 152.5 yards per game on the ground, the third worst total in the NFL, and an average of 4.9 yards per carry.
With Frank Gore coming off two straight 100-yard rushing games and a 153-yard game against the Rams in their last meeting in St. Louis, figure that the Niners will stay with the game plan that’s been working during their resurgence:
Give the ball to Gore.
Sports
In speaking with reporters this week, the Rams’ Fisher called Gore “the nerve center of that offense.”
“He’s an outstanding runner,” said Fisher in a conference call. “There’s not been any drop off. He started this year like he finished last year.”
Fisher noted, too, that with the 49ers going back to pounding the football, it’s doing good things for San Francisco’s passing game, making quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s play-action ball fakes much more dangerous.
Over his past three games, in fact, Kaepernick has put up good numbers. He’s 60-of-93 for 664 yards, four TDs and one interception. He’s also run for 130 yards.
For now, at least, the 49ers offense is on a roll, and it doesn’t appear the Rams are a good match to stop them.
Plus, it’s a Monday night game and San Francisco has thrived on Mondays.
The 49ers have won six straight and have outscored opponents 164-49 in those games. Kaepernick is 3-0 in those starts with six touchdown passes and zero interceptions.
NFL oddsmakers have made the 49ers 3½-point favorites.
