Niner Noise
FanSided

Rams vs. 49ers: 3 San Francisco players to watch on Thursday Night Football

By Peter Panacy

SANTA CLARA, CA - SEPTEMBER 12: Carlos Hyde #28 of the San Francisco 49ers rushes with the ball against the Los Angeles Rams during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on September 12, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - SEPTEMBER 12: Carlos Hyde #28 of the San Francisco 49ers rushes with the ball against the Los Angeles Rams during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on September 12, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 4
Next
LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 24: Carlos Hyde #28 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates scoring a touchdown during the first quarter against the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 24, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 24: Carlos Hyde #28 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates scoring a touchdown during the first quarter against the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 24, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

No. 1: Running Back Carlos Hyde

Los Angeles’ front-seven defense is still one of the best in the NFL, and it’s only made better after the addition of Wade Phillips as defensive coordinator.

Yet the Rams allowed a whopping 229 rushing yards to the Redskins in Week 2 — an average of 5.9 yards per carry. Three of Washington’s tailbacks netted over 60 yards in the contest, so this stat line should feed right into head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offensive plans.

More from Niner Noise

Running back Carlos Hyde was one of the few offensive standouts from San Francisco’s efforts in Seattle last week. He finished with 124 yards on 15 carries, averaging 8.27 yards in the process.

Sure, it’s likely Phillips forces his defense to clamp down on the running game, especially aware it’s the only thing moderately working for Shanahan’s offense right now. But that doesn’t mean Shanahan should stray from using Hyde and Co. early and often.

This method will test whether or not the Rams run defense is for real. And it will also keep the clock in the Niners’ favor — alleviating the need to completely rely on the defense.

Next: NFL power rankings: Week 3 league-wide shakeups

Hyde is a player perfectly capable of taking over a game, and the 49ers would be wise to see if Week 3 provides such an opportunity.