Niner Noise
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5 reasons SF 49ers bounce back with win vs. Rams in Week 6

By Peter Panacy

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Richie James (13) against the Los Angeles Rams. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Richie James (13) against the Los Angeles Rams. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jared Goff, LA Rams, SF 49ers
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff (16) Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 3: By stopping the run, SF 49ers negate Rams play action

Also like Kyle Shanahan’s offense, Sean McVay enjoys using those play fakes, bootlegs and misdirections to get opposing defenses going one way, while his offensive targets go the other.

Play action is a huge reason why.

Rams quarterback Jared Goff is a prototypical play-action passer, and it’s one of the ways McVay boosted the signal-caller’s numbers back during their own Super Bowl run in 2018. Through five weeks this season, Los Angeles has called for play-action plays 48.5 percent of dropbacks.

Not surprisingly, Goff has performed well on these kinds of throws, hitting five touchdowns against zero interceptions with a passer rating of 127.7 on play action, according to Pro Football Focus, while he has three touchdowns against three interceptions and a rating of 91.8 on standard dropbacks.

So, if you’re wondering how the SF 49ers try thwarting what’s been a dangerous passing offense over the first quarter-plus of the season, it’s by taking away play action.

The best way to do it, of course, is by negating the Rams run game. Forcing more 2nd- and 3rd-and-long plays will ultimately mean less-effective play fakes, taking away one of Goff’s biggest strengths.