Rams vs. 49ers: Full Week 3 preview for San Francisco

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)
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To begin the 2017 season, the San Francisco 49ers faced two of the league’s top defenses and walked away with two losses. In a Week 3 Thursday Night Football showdown, the Los Angeles Rams head to Levi’s Stadium. Here is the preview with the latest news, X-factors, injuries and much more.

Despite the 0-2 start to the season, the state of the San Francisco 49ers organization seems to be going in the right direction. Yes, the team is winless. That’s obviously not the most ideal beginning to a new season, but there are positives that can be drawn from the games this season so far.

Game by game, we’re being shown that this 2017 49ers defense is not the same unit from last year. It is well-documented just how terrible the defense was in 2016, in particular the rush defense. That doesn’t seem to be the case this season.

And that’s what the 49ers are building for — to have one of the NFL’s top defenses soon. They’re not quite there yet. There is still a ways to go for this unit to reach that level. Through two games though, we’ve seen glimpses of just how stifling the San Francisco defense can be.

On the flip side, quarterback Brian Hoyer is struggling and it’s ultimately holding this team back from being victorious. The team had a chance to win on the road in Seattle against the Seahawks in Week 2, but 99 total passing yards is not going to win you any games.

It’s been uneven performances from the 49ers this season, and the Week 3 game against the Los Angeles Rams is their chance to put together a complete effort and come out with a win.

Schedule