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Rams vs. 49ers: 5 Week 16 matchups to watch for San Francisco

By Peter Panacy

SANTA CLARA, CA - OCTOBER 21: Josh Reynolds #83 of the Los Angeles Rams makes a catch to the one-yard line against the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on October 21, 2018 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - OCTOBER 21: Josh Reynolds #83 of the Los Angeles Rams makes a catch to the one-yard line against the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on October 21, 2018 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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tarvarius moore, 49ers, todd gurley, rams
Free safety Tarvarius Moore #33 of the San Francisco 49ers and running back Todd Gurley #30 of the Los Angeles Rams (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

The San Francisco 49ers will look to bounce back at home against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 16, and these five matchups should bear some attention over the course of the game.

Interestingly enough, the San Francisco 49ers‘ Week 15 loss to the Atlanta Falcons didn’t exactly do a whole lot to negatively impact head coach Kyle Shanahan’s squad’s playoff outlook. If the Niners win out over their final two regular-season games, they’ll be able to clinch the No. 1 overall seed in the conference and secure the top spot in the NFC West, too.

So it’s only fitting San Francisco’s final two games of the regular season are against NFC West rivals, the Los Angeles Rams and the Seattle Seahawks.

Winning out starts with Week 16, when the 8-6 Rams come to Levi’s Stadium for a flexed Saturday night prime-time showdown against the 49ers. Los Angeles still hasn’t been eliminated from playoff contention, technically, so the Niners could do a great big fat favor in that department by pulling off a win over head coach Sean McVay and Co.

The Rams have been a hot-and-cold squad for most of the season. Sings were appearing to point back up for quarterback Jared Goff and his offense, as Los Angeles won two games in a row by scoring a combined 62 points between Weeks 13 and 14. But then the Rams put up a relatively stinker against the Dallas Cowboys last week, losing 44-21 and all but negating the thought L.A. was getting hot at the right time.

Still, the 49ers have to be mindful of their own business, not just how the Rams are playing. And if winning games is all about matchups, here are five affecting San Francisco’s prospects for getting to 12-3 on the season.