3. Jimmy Garoppolo vs. the Rams’ defensive front
Jimmy Garoppolo was nothing short of horrendous for the 49ers in their Week 5 loss to the Dolphins. He thoroughly deserved to be benched at halftime after throwing two ugly interceptions. The question now becomes whether or not San Francisco can trust him to bounce back this week.
The matchup isn’t great for Garoppolo. He’s still working to recover from the high ankle sprain that caused him to miss multiple games. At least part of his struggles against the Dolphins should be attributed to that malady.
That makes the prospect of going up against Aaron Donald and the Rams’ defensive front particularly daunting for San Francisco this week. They can’t afford to leave Garopplo in the pocket unprotected. If he plays, look for Kyle Shanahan to engineer the game plan around making sure Los Angeles never gets a free run at the quarterback.
Of course, that’s easier said than done. Sean McVay and his staff will devise a scheme to pressure San Fransisco at the line of scrimmage until Garoppolo proves he can beat them down the field. That makes this a potential make-or-break game for Garoppolo. If he plays poorly against the Rams it could be time for him to see the bench on a more permanent basis.