49ers vs. Rams news: 3 keys to a Niners victory in Week 3

Fresh off a 23-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, the San Francisco 49ers are hitting the road once again when they face off against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 3, with kickoff slated for 1:25 p.m. on Sunday.

Only this time, it may feel more like a home environment rather than the tough road crowd the 49ers just witnessed at U.S. Bank Stadium.

San Francisco has their first divisional game of the year here in Week 3, and it comes against an opponent they’ve seen significant success on over the past few seasons, winning nine of the last 11 matchups, with one of those losses coming in a meaningless Week 18 game last year.

Heading into the game, the 49ers are seen as 6.5-point favorites, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, with the over/under placed at 43.5 points.

Here’s what you need to know about the 49ers’ opponent on Sunday.

Opponent Preview

The Rams have seen a slow start to their 2024 season, going 0-2 in their first two games, most recently coming off a blowout 41-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1.

Los Angeles played a competitive Week 1 game against the Detroit Lions, taking that contest to overtime before losing on a David Montgomery touchdown, but have since faced a plethora of injuries that put their 2024 season in question.

Wideouts Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua are both set to miss this game, while offensive linemen Jonah Jackson, Steve Avila, and Joe Noteboom, as well as defensive backs Darious Williams and John Johnson III are all on Injured Reserve.

The Rams still have quarterback Matthew Stafford at the helm, but he’ll be playing behind a makeshift offensive line, although they do return left tackle Alaric Jackson back into the fold after he missed the first two games due to a suspension.

Defensively, Los Angeles doesn’t look as strong as last season, still reeling from the loss of star defensive tackle Aaron Donald, while they traded away top linebacker Ernest Jones and have a secondary riddled with injuries currently.

Playing with a pass-catching crew of Demarcus Robinson, Tyler Johnson, Jordan Whittington, and Colby Parkinson, Stafford will look to pull off a major upset at home here in Week 3.

Keys to the Game

Run the football: The 49ers pounded the rock in Week 1, ultimately rushing 38 times for 180 yards and two touchdowns, with Jordan Mason leading the way with 28 carries for 147 yards and a score.

In Week 2, it seemed that San Francisco went away from the run at times, although Mason still ended with 101 yards and a touchdown off 20 carries.

Against the Rams, the 49ers need to run the football until Los Angeles proves they can get a stop. The Rams have allowed 197 rushing yards per game and 5.5 yards per carry thus far this year, which both rank 30th in the NFL.

Add in some good run blocking thus far by San Francisco’s offensive line and some physical running from Mason and you have a successful formula that should be able to exploit the Rams defense.

The one aspect to watch is the carry distribution, as the 49ers were operating with Deebo Samuel as their No. 2 back behind Mason, but the wideout is injured and will miss the next few weeks. Now, it’s up to rookie Isaac Guerendo and veteran Patrick Taylor Jr. to shoulder the load behind Mason, which may cause the starter to accumulate another heavy workload in Week 3.

Arizona just ran for 231 yards on this Rams defense. The 49ers have a blueprint for success and should use it to their benefit.

Brandon Aiyuk: With Deebo Samuel, Christian McCaffrey, and George Kittle out, everything aligns for this game to be a Brandon Aiyuk game.

The 49ers wideout has gotten off to a slower start, catching six passes for 71 yards through two weeks, which ranks fourth on the team behind Samuel, Kittle, and Jauan Jennings.

Now, Jennings should be featured as well in this game, but all things set up for Aiyuk to have his breakout, as the Rams secondary is beaten down and Brock Purdy should be looking early and often at his top target.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan shared his belief that Aiyuk had a hell of a game in Week 2, even if the box score doesn’t reflect that, so there should be an added emphasis to get the star wideout the ball, considering how much he gets open.

The Rams have given up a number of explosives in the air in both weeks. Jameson Williams was the go-to in Week 1, ending with five catches for 121 yards, including a 52-yard haul, while Marvin Harrison had an amazing four-catch, 130-yard, and two-touchdown game in Week 2.

Brandon Aiyuk, it’s your time to shine now.

Pressure Stafford: Through two weeks, the 49ers defensive line have had their moments, but haven’t really generated as much pressure as you would’ve expected to start the year.

Yes, they have four total sacks, with Nick Bosa recording two this past game, but the star defensive end currently has a 17.2 percent win rate, according to PFF, which would be the lowest of his career.

Leonard Floyd started the year with four pressures and a sack in Week 1, but didn’t have anything in Week 2 on 19 pass rushing snaps.

Javon Hargrave and Yetur Gross-Matos each have three pressures on the year. The difference? The former has played 41 pass-rushing snaps, compared to 15 for the latter.

The defensive line needs to take a step up this year after the number of investments made over the past two offseasons, and this game seems like a good get-right game for the 49ers.

Stafford has been under significant pressure through the first two weeks, with the Rams grading out as one of the worst offensive lines thus far, giving up 35 pressures already.

Defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen could also start to unload some of his blitz packages, which could help generate more pressure as well. The opportunity is there in this game. The 49ers just need to find ways to make Stafford uncomfortable in the pocket as he tries to navigate things with a new set of pass-catchers.