San Francisco (3-1) at Los Angeles Rams (3-1)
Thursday, 8:15 p.m. EDT, Prime Video
Against the spread: 49ers 2-2; Rams 3-1
Series record: 49ers lead 78-71-3.
Last meeting: Rams beat 49ers 12-6 in Santa Clara, California on Dec. 12, 2024.
Last week: 49ers lost to Jaguars 26-21; Rams beat Colts 27-20.
49ers offense: overall (5), rush (28), pass (2), scoring (23).
49ers defense: overall (T-5), rush (17), pass (6), scoring (7).
Rams offense: overall (4), rush (13), pass (3), scoring (13).
Rams defense: overall (9), rush (10), pass (T-9), scoring (T-10).
Turnover differential: 49ers minus-5; Rams plus-3.
RB Christian McCaffrey. McCaffrey had 92 yards receiving last week for his most since joining the Niners. He is one of four players in the league with at least 100 yards from scrimmage in every game this season. The only 49ers players to do it in each of the first five games in a season are Roger Craig (1988) and Paul Hofer (1980).
WR Puka Nacua had 13 receptions for a career-high 170 yards and a touchdown against the Colts, his third game this season with at least 10 receptions and 100 yards. Nacua leads the league in receptions (42) and yards receiving (503), and he has at least 118 yards from scrimmage in each of the first four games. In three games against San Francisco, he has 26 receptions for 285 yards and one touchdown.
Rams QB Matthew Stafford vs. 49ers defense. When the 37-year-old Stafford gets in a rhythm, as he did in a two-minute drill at the end of the first half or on the game-tying touchdown drive in the fourth quarter, there might not be a better passer in football. That is why San Francisco will need big efforts from its pass rush and secondary to disrupt Stafford’s timing with Nacua and Davante Adams. The 49ers have five sacks through four games and failed to sack the Jaguars' Trevor Lawrence on Sunday, while the defensive backs held Jacksonville to a single pass play of more than 20 yards.
49ers: QB Brock Purdy will miss the game with a sore toe. Purdy missed two games because of the injury before returning last week but had soreness after the game. Mac Jones will start in his place. ... WR Ricky Pearsall (knee) and WR Jauan Jennings (ribs, ankle) also are out this week for San Francisco.
Rams: LG Steve Avila (ankle) was active but didn’t play against Indianapolis. Whether he is healthy enough to regain his spot in the starting lineup this week isn’t clear. … RT Rob Havenstein (ankle) and TE Tyler Higbee (hip) have not practiced this week and are listed as doubtful for the game.
The Rams have won three straight over their Bay Area rivals following a nine-game regular-season losing streak. … Each of those three Los Angeles wins have been by six points or fewer. … San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan is 10-7 against his friend and former colleague Sean McVay.
San Francisco has won two division games to open this season after going 1-5 vs. the NFC West last season. ... The 49ers have held opponents to a 32% conversion rate on third down for the second-best mark in the NFL. ... San Francisco has no TD runs through four games for the first time since 1990. ... The 49ers have tied an NFL record set last season by the Giants by going 11 straight games without intercepting a pass. ... The 49ers have been outrushed by 27.5 yards per game, their worst mark through four games since 2010 when they were minus-29.3. ... San Francisco had no sacks and no QB hits last week for the first time since Week 2 of the 2015 season. ... LB Fred Warner had his 17th career forced fumble last week for the most by a Niners player since at least 1994. … The Rams have allowed 86 and 85 yards rushing in their past two games. They most recently held three straight opponents under 100 yards in Week 11-13 of the 2023 season. … Stafford needs 11 completions to pass Philip Rivers (5,277) for eight in NFL history for completions. … Nacua has 42 receptions and is tied with Cooper Kupp and Michael Thomas for most through four games in league history. … Los Angeles has scored eight touchdowns in 16 red zone drives, including five touchdowns in nine goal-to-go situations (55.6%). … OLB Byron Young has at least one sack in each game this season, and his five total sacks is tied with the Giants’ Brian Burns for the league lead.
The distribution of touches between Rams RB Kyren Williams (13 carries, three receptions) and Blake Corum (nine carries, two receptions) versus the Colts might have given fantasy owners pause. Williams was much more effective, finishing with 94 yards from scrimmage, and the game plan may not be so pass heavy every week, so it’s not worth worrying about going forward.
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