49ers vs. Rams Prediction: Shanahan Continues to Own McVay in this NFC West Rivalary
By Josh Yourish
The San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams... what do these teams have in common? They were both in the NFC Championship game last season? Yes, but they are both also at or below .500 and behind the Seattle Seahawks and Geno Smith in the NFC West.
Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay get to renew their rivalry with the Niners at 3-4 and the Rams coming off their bye week, 3-3. Not exatly what we expected to see this season. The Rams are well rested coming off a bye week and the 49ers are reeling after a 44-23 loss to Kansas City. Who is favored in this divisional matchup? Let’s check the odds.
49ers vs. Rams Odds, Spread and Over/Under
49ers vs. Rams Odds, Spread and Over/Under Movement in NFL Week 8
The Rams opened as 2.5-point home underdogs and the spread is now only 1.5. It looks as though LA will only be a 1 point dog by kickoff Sunday.
49ers vs. Rams Prediction and Pick
The 49ers got run off the field by Kansas City last week. they just didn’t have the firepower to score with the Chiefs or the defense to stop them. Injuries in the secondary are hurting what has been the No. 1 defense in the NFL. They still have talent all over the field and DeMeco Ryans is one of the best defensive coordinators in the NFL. Their defense should bounce back this week against maybe the worst Sean McVay offense we have seen.
Matthew Stafford has six passing touchdowns and eight interceptions this season. He is completing 70% of his passes, but the Rams are 29th in points per game only averaging 17.3. The offensive line is a serious problem and LA is only running for 3.4 yards per carry, the second worst in the NFL. This looks like the bill finally coming due for LA’s high priced investments and draft picks sent away for stars. They got their Super Bowl out of it, but could miss the playoffs this season.
San Francisco has problems too, but not nearly as glaring as those in LA. Shanahan will also get to fully unleash his new toy, Christian McCaffrey this week. The most important stat is that Shanahan owns Sean McVay. The 49ers are 6-0 ATS in their last six vs. the Rams, and besides the NFC Championship last year, it has been all 49ers in this rivalry.
Pick: 49ers -1.5 (-105)
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change