The 49ers will seek a third victory over the Rams and become another in a long line of NFL teams that have beaten an opponent three times in a season. This will be the 23rd time since the AFL/NFL merger that teams will meet in the playoffs where one team beat their opponent twice in the regular season. Teams that swept the regular-season series won 15 of the 22 meetings in the postseason.
The Rams are hoping their stout defense will be able to buck the trend and allow Los Angeles to become the second straight team to earn home-field advantage in the Super Bowl.
49ers at Rams Stats
Looking at the San Francisco stats
How the 49ers beat the Packers in the divisional round didn’t matter to San Francisco. But the offense did lack serious style points.
Jimmy Garoppolo made big throws on the final drive to set up the game-winning field goal but was 11-of-19 passing for 131 yards and threw an interception. San Francisco’s run game didn’t find much traction either, carrying the ball 29 times for 106 times.
The 49ers’ defense did pin down Aaron Rodgers and the powerful Green Bay offense, only allowing one touchdown. San Francisco was excellent all season on defense, allowing 310.0 passing yards per game, which is third best in the league, and 206.5 passing yards per game, which ranks sixth in the league. The 49ers’ special teams also made two huge plays, blocking a punt and field goal against the Packers.
Looking at the Los Angeles stats
The Rams should have been on cruise control in the second half of the NFC Divisional game against Tampa Bay. But Los Angeles struggled with turnovers, giving the ball away four times, nearly losing a 24-point lead. The Rams struggled to protect the ball all season, ranking 18th in turnovers with 23.
But when Los Angeles’ passing game is clicking, the Rams are hard to stop. Matthew Stafford threw for 366 yards and two touchdowns against Tampa Bay.
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp led the team with 183 receiving yards on nine catches. Odell Beckham Jr., who has played well since coming over from Cleveland, hauled in six passes for 69 yards.
Betting Trends for 49ers at Rams
- San Francisco is 11-8 against the spread.
- Los Angeles is 10-9 against the spread.
- The over is 8-11 in the 49ers’ games.
- The over is 10-8-1 in the Rams’ games.
- Los Angeles is 2-0 against the spread in the playoffs this season.
Who to Bet 49ers at Rams
Top sportsbooks have the Rams as four-point favorites. Los Angeles is -177 on the moneyline, while San Francisco is +155. The over/under is 46 points.
Beating a team three times in a season has been done many times over league history. In this case, however, Los Angeles has the pieces to knock off a solid San Francisco team. Stafford has been playing well throughout the playoffs, while Garopollo has shown lapses in judgment that haven’t caught up to the 49ers yet.
Expect the Rams’ defense to smother San Francisco and allow Los Angeles to cover the spread..
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