Rams at 49ers: How to watch, time, TV, key matchup, pick for NFC West battle on ‘Monday Night Football’

On this week’s Monday Night Football, we have an NFC West showdown where the San Francisco 49ers host the Los Angeles Rams in a game that will determine who takes first place in the after the first quarter of the season Division occupied.

San Francisco has won six straight regular-season games against Los Angeles, although the Rams got a little revenge by winning the NFC title game last year. This duel with Trey Lance in the middle of the Niners was expected to be a little different this season, but after Lance’s injury late in the season it will be Jimmy Garoppolo versus Matthew Stafford again instead.

Will the Niners have seven straight regular-season wins against their division rivals, or will the Rams put an end to the streak? We’ll find out soon enough. Before we break down the matchup, here’s how to watch the match.

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Date: Monday 3 Oct | Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Location: Levi’s Stadium (Santa Clara, California)
TV: ESPN | Electricity: fuboTV (try for free)
Consequences: CBS Sports App
opportunities: 49er -1.5, O/U 42.5 (courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook)

When the Rams have the ball

The Rams have some troubles along the inside offensive line, with center Brian Allen and guard David Edwards both expected to miss this game. Starting 49ers centerbacks Arik Armstead and Javon Kinlaw are each listed as questionable. If they can walk, San Francisco could have a distinct advantage up front. If they can’t play, it can be neutralized. That seems like a significant swing in this matchup — especially after San Francisco owned last season’s matchups so thoroughly in the trenches.

Los Angeles so far has returned to something a little closer to Sean McVay’s offenses prior to Matthew Stafford’s arrival last season, using a little more game action and under-center stuff than it did a year ago. Some of that is down to offensive line troubles, and some of that is down to receivers outside of Cooper Kupp not doing a great job of opening up on the things spread. As they move on to more play action, bootleg and intriguing stuff, these guys are in a better position to succeed. But it also potentially puts more pressure on Stafford because the defense will have more time to try to bag him.

The San Francisco defenders have gotten off to a terrific start, and while the Niners are playing a lot of “soft” coverages like cover-2, cover-4, and cover-6, their corners have actually been playing near the line of scrimmage more often this year . Bringing in Charvarius Ward played a part in this because his size, flashy style and physicality set the tone for the group. However, he’s not the only one to run into opposing pass catchers. Emmanuel Moseley plays pretty well against Ward, Talanoa Hufanga was one of the best safeties in the NFL earlier in the season, and both Tashaun Gipson and Deommodore Lenoir have blitzed at times.

Against players like Kupp it has to be full defense in the backcourt, especially since fifth-round rookie Samuel Womack was the slot’s primary cover-type in two of the three games. (Lenoir played Denver there last week.) Kupp, of course, lines up all over the field and has a mind-meld with Stafford. He went off for 18 combined catches for 240 yards and a touchdown last year in this matchup, and it’s not like no other team out there found a way to slow him down.

Nevertheless, the Rams need the pass offensive to be more than just Kupp. Allen Robinson has not lived up to expectations so far and could be an outside nominee for a lot of Ward. This makes McVay’s tweak to use No. 3 wideout Ben Skowronek in the backfield as a hybrid fullback/move tight end interesting because it could allow him to pair a receiver with a safety or linebacker and potentially create an advantage – – even though San Francisco has arguably the best pair of linebackers in the league.

The Los Angeles running game has focused more on Cam Akers in recent weeks, even as Darrell Henderson continues to run more efficiently. It just seems like the coaching staff wants Akers to be the main man on rundowns, while Henderson works more as a pass switcher and pass catcher. The Nines. Leave players ahead to limit one of them, especially when Armstead is active for the matchup.

When the 49ers have the ball

San Francisco has won each of the last six regular season games between these two teams, thanks largely to running game exploits.

In last year’s two matchups, the 49ers ran the ball 75 times for 291 yards and two touchdowns, with Elijah Mitchell and Deebo Samuel doing much of the damage. (The year before it was Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson Jr., JaMycal Hasty and Jerick McKinnon. Before that it was Mostert, Tevin Coleman and Matt Breida. This team has, uh, been through some running backs.) The first game against the Rams Last year really marked the debut of the Samuel as a running back package, and it helped the Niners dominate the possession time battle. In six wins over the past three seasons, San Francisco has averaged almost 36 minutes of possession versus 24 minutes for Los Angeles and have had more than 34 minutes of possession in five of the six competitions.

Of course, the Niners succeeded in these games behind the strength of a very good offensive line. To put it mildly, their group at the top isn’t in the state we’re used to. Center Alex Mack retired this offseason. Left tackle Trent Williams will be out for several weeks with an ankle injury. Right tackle Mike McGlinchey isn’t the player he used to be. The guards aren’t anywhere near the quality of players like Laken Tomlinson and even Mike Person or Daniel Brunskill.

So it will be harder to base on the ground game than it has been in the past. Maybe. Kyle Shanahan remains the league’s lead running designer, and Wilson Jr. has looked pretty good as a replacement for Mitchell this year. The Rams still play a defensive style that often invites opponents to run the ball and try to matriculate downfield cleanly, but that’s what the Niners want to do anyway. Whether they can do so as consistently as in the past is the question here – especially with a weaker group inside where Aaron Donald can wreak havoc.

Garoppolo won in Week 2 to Lance’s relief, but he was terrible against the Broncos last Sunday night. He threw off his hind foot and far too often without enough strength. He ignored a wide-open Samuel who rushed up the sideline for a touchdown and subdued him on another game that ended up just being a big win instead of a score. The Niners need him not only to deliver the ball on time and on target, but also occasionally on the field. He just can’t take the safe throws while still being fooled into cover by the occasional predator (like he did last week).

The Rams are struggling with defensive backfield injuries at the moment, with David Long and Cobie Durant likely to miss this game. Perhaps there’s an opportunity for San Francisco to involve Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk with fast screens outward and try to exploit inexperienced corners further down the depth map.

forecast

Featured Game | San Francisco 49ers vs. Los Angeles Rams

Result: 49ers 24, Rams 21