Credit: Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE

The last time the 49ers faced off against the Rams, the game ended in the NFL’s first tie in four years.  Don’t expect another tie this time around, but we can expect an equally exciting and close game.  Here are five things to watch for during the game.

San Francisco 49ers (8-2-1) Vs. St. Louis Rams (4-6-1)

Where: Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis (turf, indoors)

When: Sunday, 10:00 a.m. PT/1:00 p.m. ET (Fox)

Spread: 49ers -8

Forecast: Indoors

49ers’ Secondary

Last time the 49ers played the Rams, San Francisco’s secondary was lit up by QB Sam Bradford and WR Danny Amendola. We can expect the Rams to come out throwing again to test Carlos Rogers and the Niners secondary, who made the Rams offense look like The Greatest Show on Turf was back in St. Louis.

Amendola had 11 receptions for 102 yards the last time the two teams met, but he is dealing with a foot injury and is in a walking boot this week.  Despite the injury, he should play.  Remember, he returned from injury against the 49ers and had his best game of the season after being out for over a month.  Last week, the wide receiver played only seven snaps and caught one pass for 38 yards.

If you think the 49ers’ secondary will have an easier time defending the pass without Amendola playing, the Rams have other weapons at wide receiver.  Rookie Chris Givens stepped up for the Rams last week with five catches for 115 yards and one touchdown.

Resting Frank Gore

The 49ers rushing attack lost RB Kendall Hunter for the remainder of the season because of an ankle injury.  Hunter had been an really good backup for Frank Gore this season, allowing him to rest more on the sidelines during games to keep him fresh.  Now those duties fall to Brandon Jacobs, LaMichael James and Anthony Dixon.  It is not known who will be the main backup behind Gore, but all three running backs have played limited, if at all this season.  So we can expect all three RB’s to play well when they get onto the field, because they know they are playing for the No. 2 spot at running back for the rest of the season.  It’s their time to shine.

Colin Kaepernick

Can Kaepernick win his third straight game as a starter for the 49ers?  If he does, he will have cemented his role as the Niners starting quarterback.  Kaepernick has looked like veteran since taking over for Alex Smith in the last game against the Rams.  Kap almost brought the Niners back to victory against the Rams, but the game ended in a tie.  With a full week’s worth of practice and him not being inserted onto the field mid-game, we can expect Kaepernick to have his best game of his career on Sunday.

Rams Momentum

Before their win over the Arizona Cardinals last week, the St. Louis Rams were suffering through a five-game win less steak that included the tie against the 49ers in Week 10.  The Rams will be looking to build of their momentum from their 31-17 road win over the Cardinals last week.  During the Rams five-game win less streak, the team did not force any turnovers which was a big reason why they did not win those games.  Against the Cardinals, the Rams forced a season-best four turnovers.  With game being played in St. Louis and the Rams having played against Kaepernick already, the 49ers will need to wrestle the momentum away from the Rams early to take the crowd out of the game.

David Akers Injury

49ers kicker David Akers has a pelvis injury and he likely was playing through it during the win over the Saints last week.  The injury might explain why he missed a 50-yard field goal try and had a 33-yarder blocked in the game.  Earlier this week, the 49ers tried out Billy Cundiff and Nate Kaeding just in case Akers could not play.  But by Wednesday he was back at practice so he will be a go this weekend.

Remember, Akers missed a game-winning field goal in overtime against the Rams three weeks ago.  After having a record setting season last year, Akers has missed 19-of-27 field goals this season.  The 49ers will need all the points they can get against the Rams, so lets hope his injury is not an issue during the game.

Credit: Jeff Curry-US PRESSWIRE

The rival between the San Francisco 49ers and St. Louis Rams gets renewed for the first time of the 2012 season on Sunday.  St. Louis travels to San Francisco where they have not won since 2007, losing four straight games at Candlestick Park.  Both teams are coming off their bye week and they will be equally rested and ready to go.

San Francisco entered their bye week on a two-game winning streak after beating the Seahawks and Cardinals.  The defense did not allow a touchdown in either game and only gave up a combined nine points.

St. Louis limped to their bye week after receiving a beat down from the Patriots in London.  The Rams scored the first touchdown, but the Patriots scored the next 45 points.  After starting the season 3-2, the Rams have lost the last three games and given up 92 points during the losing streak.

The rivalry runs deep between the 49ers and Rams.  Anytime they play one another you can throw out the records of both teams and expect a good game.  Here are five things to watch for during the game:

Momentum of 49ers Offense

The bye week halted the momentum the 49ers offense had established during the two-game winning streak. Alex Smith had a near perfect performance on Monday Night Football, finishing 18-for-19 with 232 yards and three touchdowns.  Smith takes a 102.1 QB rating into the game which ranks fourth in the NFL.  He passed for 213 yards and one touchdown in the most recent matchup against the Rams last season.

With the offense averaging 168.9 rushing yards per game, the run game will be a key part to getting the offense going because it will help set up the passing game.  Frank Gore enters the second-half of the season with 656 rushing yards, four touchdowns and averaging 5.5 yards per carry .  The Rams defense has only nine turnovers this season and during the three-game losing streak they did not force any turnovers.  Look for the 49ers offense to take advantage of this.

Michael Crabtree Posed for Big Day

A big part of the momentum on offense for the 49ers was lead by Michael Crabtree.  In Week 8 against Arizona, Crabtree grabbed five catches for 72 yards and two touchdowns.  He proved against Cardinals CB Patrick Peterson he should be respected as a legitimate number one receiver.  In two games against the Rams last season Crabtree had 12 catches for 182 yards and three touchdowns.  St. Louis does have a good secondary with the physical Cortland Finnegan and Janoris Jenkins at cornerback, but the Patriots lit up the defense for 321 passing yards.

Even though we expected more from Randy Moss at the halfway point of the season, he does have a modest 13 catches for 235 yards, two touchdowns and averages 18.1 yards per catch.  Where Moss has proven his value the most is just having his presence on the field.  He draws double-coverage most of the time which helps open up the field for Crabtree.

Freeing Up Vernon Davis

For all of the praise Greg Roman receives for his offense being creative with his formations and play-calling, he can’t seem to come up with a way to get Vernon Davis the football.  Opposing defenses are doing everything they can to stop Davis and they have been succeeding.  In the past three games Davis has been limited to five catches for 71 yards and no touchdowns.

Alex Smith on defenses strategy for Davis,

 I see a lot of teams trying to take away the big play in the passing game from Vernon. I don’t know if there’s another big-play tight end quite like him. I know there’s a lot of tight ends that have a lot of catches and have a lot of production, but they don’t necessarily have the explosion that he has. But in taking that away, it’s opened up a lot underneath for other guys.

In two games last season Davis had 13 catches and 150 yards against the Rams.  St. Louis ranks 17th in the league in pass defense and allowed Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski to catch eight passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns in Week 8.  Smith has shown he won’t throw into double-coverage.  For Davis to get open, a lot will depend on whether the Rams defense focuses on the wide receivers or double team him.

Unfamiliarity of Sam Bradford

This will mark the first time Vic Fangio’s defense will go up against Rams QB Sam Bradford after he missed both meetings last season with an ankle sprain.  He is improving this season with 1,797 passing yards, eight touchdowns and seven interceptions.  He has played well during the three-game losing streak completing 67.0 percent of his passes.  Still, after eight games the Rams offense has scored only 11 touchdowns.

Bradford will have WR Danny Amendola back on the field after he missed the past three games with an injury to his collarbone.  Amendola is Bradford’s favorite target with 32 catches, 395 yards and two touchdowns this season.

The 49ers pass rush will be able to get after Bradford all game to disrupt his rhythm which will eventually make the Rams passing game a non-factor.

Third Down Conversions

The Rams defense has allowed teams to covert 40 percent of the time on third down, which ranks 15th in the league.  In the past two games against the Packers and Patriots, both teams converted a combined 16 of 27 third downs.

A good strategy for the 49ers would be to exploit the Rams on third downs, but the offense is ranked 19^th in the league and has only converted 38 percent of third downs.  With an established run game the Niners offense should be able to avoid third downs.

Credit: Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE

In the 49ers vs. Cardinals Monday night showdown, the divisional rivals will face-off with first place of the NFC West on the line.  With a San Francisco win, the 49ers would open up a two-game lead in the NFC West.  With a win by Arizona, the Cardinals would snap a three-game losing streak and be tied with the 49ers in first place.  San Francisco has won five of the last six meetings; however, in the last game between the two teams, Arizona won 21-19.  Here are five things to watch for in the game:

Stopping Patrick Peterson

The 49ers’ special teams has one of the best punters and kickers in the NFL, however, the coverage team backing them up is one of the worst in the NFL.  Kicker David Akers has had 61% of his kickoffs land for a touchback.  But when the kickoff coverage team actually has to make a tackle downfield, they give up an average of 33.1 yards per kickoff return, which ranks 31st in the NFL.  Punter Andy Lee averages a net of 47.5 yards per punt, but his punt coverage team gives up 13.9 yards per punt return, which ranks 28^th in the NFL.

Last week the 49ers’ special teams tamed Seattle’s return man Leon Washington, but this week against Arizona they will have a much tougher time containing Patrick Peterson.  Peterson is again leading the NFL in punt return yards with 229 and he is averaging 8.8 yards per punt with no touchdowns.  His average is not eye-popping, his longest return this season is 26 yards, but he remains a big threat.  One reason for the low averages is teams are simply not letting Peterson return a punt and neither should the 49ers, even with prolific punter Andy Lee.  Gunners C.J. Spillman and Chris Culliver will need to get downfield quickly to force Peterson into the middle of the punt coverage.

Peterson wants Lee to challenge him:

At the end of the day, as a punt returner, that’s what I want. I want the guys to try to challenge me by punting the ball deep and me getting the ball with a little bit of time to scan the field and see where my guys are. That’s my goal.

On defense Peterson is equally as dangerous with 21 tackles, 3 interceptions and 8 passes defensed through seven games.  He will likely be shadowing Michael Crabtree all game as he is the best cornerback on defense for the Cardinals.  Arizona’s defense has only given up 16.9 points per game (4^th in NFL) and has not allowed a team to score over 21 points all season.  Peterson has helped guide the defense to a fourth best in the NFL defending against the pass, giving up an average of only 191.3 yards per game.

Frank Gore’s Ribs

San Francisco’s rushing offense averages 176.6 yards per game with Frank Gore leading the way.  Despite injuring his ribs in the second quarter against Seattle, Gore still managed to rush for a season-high 131 yards.  Arizona’s defense is not very good defending against the run allowing 120.9 yards per game, ranking 20^th in the NFL.  In the last two games, Arizona has given up 331 rushing yards and 5.5 yards per carry.  They lost both games.  In 11 games against the Cardinals, Gore has averaged 113.2 yards from scrimmage and scored 11 touchdowns.

Gore was a full participant at practice on Thursday, so there is no doubt he is healthy enough to play on Monday Night Football.  However, Kendall Hunter will need to help carry the load and having Brandon Jacobs available to play will go a long way in keeping Gore fresh.

Limiting the Cardinals Passing Game

In the last meeting between the two teams, QB Kevin Kolb was knocked out of the game on the first series, but backup QB John Skelton came in and threw for 282 yards, 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in the 21-19 upset win over San Francisco.  Skelton looked to WR Larry Fitzgerald throughout the game who had seven receptions for 149 yards and 1 touchdown.  Carlos Rogers and the rest of the secondary will need to limit Fitzgerald this time around for the 49ers to win the game.  The defense can review the game film from Arizona’s loss last week to Minnesota to see how to take Fitzgerald out of the offense.  The receiver only had four catches for 29 yards and no touchdowns in the game.  The secondary cannot allow Fitzgerald to use his size advantage over Rogers and Tarell Brown, who are much shorter than the wide receiver.

One way the 49ers defense can stop the Cardinals passing game is pressuring Skelton.  Arizona’s quarterbacks have been sacked 29 times in the past four games, with Minnesota generating seven sacks last week.  The 49ers defense has only 11 sacks this season, but they have allowed the leagues fewest total yards per game (272.3) and fewest passing yards (173.4).

One reason for Arizona giving up so many sacks is their offensive line has been decimated by injuries with two starters on injured reserve and former Niners guard, and current Cardinals starter, Adam Snyder out for the game.  Expect Aldon Smith, who leads the 49ers with 5.5 sacks, to have a big day as the starting offensive tackles for Arizona have allowed 22 of the 35 sacks this season.

Cardinals Hurting

Arizona had three players not participate in practice on Thursday and seven players who were limited.  Of the those ten players, the most significant injuries for the Cardinals are CB Jamell Fleming (back), CB Gregory Toler (hamstring), DT Darnell Dockett (hamstring), S Kerry Rhodes (back) and G Adam Snyder (quadriceps).  Fleming and Toler did not practice so they are unlikely to play in the game.  Rhodes missed last week’s game with his back injury and even though he was limited in practice, he is questionable.  Dockett was limited as well with his hamstring injury, but there is no way he will miss a division game against the 49ers.

The Cardinals already had issues on the O-line heading into this season and Snyder was signed to help protect the quarterback.  Losing Snyder for the game will be a big blow to the offensive line that is already hurting and that has giving up a lot of sacks this season.

The Niners have a clean slate this week with injuries as everyone but Joe Staley fully participated in practice on Thursday.  Staley did not practice because of an illness, but he is expected to play on Monday night.

Targeting Vernon Davis

Last week against the Seahawks, Alex Smith did not complete a reception to tight end Vernon Davis in the 13-6 win.  Not getting passes to Davis had a lot to do with Smith only passing for 140 yards, one touchdown and one interception.  Seattle’s defense established early they were not going to allow Davis to make a catch and we can expect Arizona to do the same.

The 49ers offense needs to target Davis on every possession.  If he is not open or double covered, another receiver should be open.  Smith needs to do a better job of not only recognizing the open receiver, but also accurately throwing to the receiver.  Having Mario Manningham back on offense will help out a lot by opening up the middle of the field for Davis.