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Week 3: Rams at Niners Thursday Night Football Matchup Preview

After bullying Scott Tolzien out of the starting lineup and dropping 46 points on the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1, the Los Angeles Rams were served a slice of humble pie by the Washington Redskins in Week 2.

With the game tied at 20 late in the fourth quarter, Kirk Cousins engineered a 10-play, go-ahead touchdown drive against the Rams defense. That was followed by a Jared Goff interception on the first play of the two-minute drill. Sean McVay’s team is progressing, but growing pains remain.

The Rams’ flaws may not be as exposed in Week 3 as Los Angeles travels to San Francisco for Thursday night’s matchup. The Rams are 4-6 straight up and 4-6 against the spread in their last 10 road contests. The 49ers are 2-8 straight up and 3-7 against the spread (1-7 ATS last eight) in their past 10 home games.

However, San Francisco is 7-2-1 and 6-4 against the spread – including a 28-0 win – in its last 10 games against the Rams.

First year Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan is working to put his stamp on the franchise, but San Francisco has faced two of the stingiest defenses the first two weeks. Brian Hoyer was 24-35 for 193 yards, no touchdowns and an interception against the Panthers and only managed 99 pass yards with an interception at Seattle in Week 2.

Oft-injured Carlos Hyde posted the third-best rushing game of his career against the Seahawks when he ran for 124 yards on 15 carries (8.3 YPR). The 49ers will need more of that to offset the sluggish start to a passing game whose leading receiver is Pierre Garcon (nine receptions / 107 yards). Hoyer only has two completions of 20+ yards.

The 49ers defense is still waiting for its first test as the Panthers and Seahawks win ball games defensively with timely offensive scores. However, San Francisco’s rush defense is holding opposing running backs to 3.3 yards per rush.

Goff shredded the Colts pass defense for 306 yards on 21-29 passing with a touchdown and no picks. His production was muted in Week 2 as the Redskins held him to 15-25 for 224 yards. If you remove his longest pass – a wide open completion made possible by blown coverage – Goff finished 14-24 for 155 yards. Goff’s poor passing performance last Sunday was somewhat surprising after Washington’s pass defense allowed Carson Wentz to rack up 298 passing yards in Week 1.

Todd Gurley’s 3.8 yards per rush on his first 35 carries may not seem impressive, but the Niners also need to keep tabs on the running back on passing downs. Gurley is third on the team in receiving yards and averaging 13 yards per reception with a touchdown.

After the Redskins racked up 229 yards on the ground against them, the Rams rush defense dipped to third-worst in the league. The 4.8 yards allowed per rush could pose a problem should Hyde be the focal point of Thursday night’s offense.