Rams 4 biggest causes for concern against 49ers on Sunday…

Rams' 4 biggest causes for concern vs. 49ers on Sunday

[theramswire.usatoday.com]

Cameron DaSilva

The Rams have a chance on Sunday to secure the No. 2 seed in the conference and clinch its first NFC West title since 2018. The team standing in their way is the 49ers, who have won five straight against Los Angeles.

The 49ers may not look like Super Bowl contenders right now but they’re a dangerous team that has seemingly found the formula to beating the Rams. And they have plenty to play for, needing a win or a Saints loss in order to make the playoffs.

Here are the Rams’ four biggest causes for concern in Week 18.

1

Getting off the field on third down

In their Week 10 meeting, the 49ers had three scoring drives that went at least 10 plays, including an 18-play, 93-yard drive after Matthew Stafford’s opening interception. Part of the reason the 49ers managed to do that is the success they had on third down. They went 8-for-14 on third, sustaining long drives and keeping the offense on the field.

The Rams defense was gassed and simply couldn’t make stops when it needed to, which was a huge problem. Raheem Morris’ unit has to be better this time around because losing time of possession 39:03-20:57 is not a recipe for success.

2

Stopping 49ers’ dynamic rushing attack

The 49ers rank seventh in rushing yards and sixth in rushing touchdowns. They love to hand the ball off, carrying it more than all but four teams in the NFL. The Rams have been good against the run, allowing the fifth-fewest yards per attempt (3.9), but they had trouble against the 49ers’ ground game in Week 10.

In that game, San Francisco rushed for 156 yards, the third-most Los Angeles has allowed in a game this season. The Rams must contain the 49ers’ rushing attack this time around and make the quarterback beat them, which is easier said than done. The addition of Deebo Samuel as a running back has made that even tougher, too.

3

Generating pressure against quick passing game

No quarterback got rid of the ball quicker in Week 10 than Jimmy Garoppolo did against the Rams. His average time to throw was just 2.3 seconds, throwing it 2.9 yards short of the first-down marker per attempt.

The 49ers’ game plan was simple: throw short, quick passes to prevent the pass rush from getting home. And it worked. The Rams landed exactly one hit on Garoppolo, which came on Taylor Rapp’s sack. Otherwise, Von Miller, Leonard Floyd and Aaron Donald were all blanked from a pass-rush perspective.

That can’t happen again if the Rams are going to win this game.

4

Matthew Stafford’s turnover issues

It’s great that the Rams won their last two games despite Stafford turning it over three times in each start. It’s highly concerning that he continues to turn the ball over so frequently. He’s thrown the second-most interceptions in the NFL with 15 and has only been turnover-free in two of his last eight games.

He’s on a team that’s good enough to make up for his mistakes, but he also doesn’t have to feel like he must carry the team the way he did in Detroit. If Stafford continues to be careless with the football on Sunday, it’ll set the Rams up for their sixth straight loss to the 49ers – and furthermore, raise concerns entering the postseason.