Sunday | 4:05 ET
Last week, I took the Steelers over the 49ers in what I expected to be a rock-fight. I was sorely reminded of the limitless ceiling that the San Fransisco offense possesses, and the suffocating way that their defense plays. They look to bring their buzzsaw to SoFi Stadium against a Rams team that is coming off of a surprising win in Seattle. In a game that almost no one had them winning, they completely dominated. They more than doubled the Seahawks in both offensive yards and first downs. Though the 49ers are much stronger on paper, this game is intriguing considering Week 1’s results and the way that the Rams have performed against the Niners in the past.
The coaching battle between Kyle Shanahan and his disciple Sean McVay is always interesting. If you don’t like outside zone runs, this is not the game for you. Both offenses are run very similarly, revolving aronud the outside zone run scheme and YAC in the passing game. It will come down to personnel in the end. These teams run the same things, but the 49ers simply have the better players.
With Cooper Kupp out with a hamstring flare-up, rookie WR Puka Nacua took over his role in Week 1. He was targeted a whopping 15 times in his first NFL game, catching 10 for 119 yards. Though I’m excited to see what he can do in Week 2, I don’t expect the Rams to be anywhere near as productive against the 49ers defense, who ranked 1st in PFF overall defensive grade in Week 1.
The 49ers should be able to put up some points on Sunday. The Rams only gave up 13 points last week to a solid Seahawks passing attack, but I can’t see them shutting down San Francisco. Between Deebo, Brandon Aiyuk, CMC, and George Kittle, the young Rams defense will be overwhelmed. I think that the Niners will be able to score in any way they choose.