3 reasons San Francisco 49ers upset Los Angeles Rams

The San Francisco 49ers look to make their second Super Bowl appearance in three years. Can they knock off the Los Angeles Rams once again?

Both the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams have felt the sting of defeat on Super Sunday in recent years. In 2018, Sean McVay’s club failed to score a touchdown in a 13-3 loss to the New England Patriots at Atlanta (LIII).

A season later, Kyle Shanahan’s club owned a 20-10 midway through the fourth quarter before the Kansas City Chiefs closed the game with 21 unanswered points.

The Rams are looking to become the second straight team to play the Super Bowl in its home stadium. But that could be easier said than done considering their foe on Sunday.

3 reasons the 49ers upset the Rams

3. DE Nick Bosa spends lots of time in the Rams’ backfield: Talk about consistency? The 49ers’ pass rush produced five sacks apiece in the postseason wins at Dallas and at Green Bay. Bosa missed most of 2020 due to injury but has made up for lost time. He has 3.5 of the club’s 10 playoff sacks. This after leading San Francisco with 15.5 QB traps during the regular season.

2. WR Deebo Samuel stays hot: He totaled 365 yards on the ground, 1,405 yards through the air and scored a combined 14 touchdowns rushing (8) and receiving (6). And Samuel has added 193 yards from scrimmage and one TD on a combined 26 touches in the team’s playoff wins over the Cowboys and Packers.

1. Beating a team 3 times in one season isn’t as difficult as some believe: The 49ers have defeated the Rams six straight times dating back to 2019. If you don’t think they have Sean McVay’s number, keep in mind that they were swept by the rival Cardinals and Seahawks yet managed to take two from the eventual NFC West champions. And history tells us that it’s far more common to defeat a team three times in one season as opposed to losing the third game after sweeping your opponent.