SF 49ers: 5 bold predictions in Week 12 vs. LA Rams
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: SF 49ers hold LA Rams rush offense to less than 75 yards
Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay’s offenses are similarly built: establish the run and let play action do its thing.
The Rams still managed to pull off a key win over the Buccaneers in Week 12 despite their own failures on the ground. Given the short week for McVay and Co., it might be challenging to dial up an effective enough game plan to get Los Angeles’ ground game back on track in time for this contest.
Especially considering the caliber of run defenses LA has faced in these back-to-back weeks.
Tampa Bay is ranked No. 1 against the run through 11 weeks, while the SF 49ers are ranked 10th with 1,070 total rush yards allowed. But the key point for the Niners here is allowing a mere 3.9 yards per carry.
The Rams’ top rusher, Darrell Henderson, is coming off a season-low 0.63 yards per attempt having gone up against the Bucs defensive front. While San Francisco isn’t exactly prolific at any point of its defense, it has been wholly effective enough to prevent opponents from completely dominating this area of the game.
True, the SF 49ers have surrendered three consecutive games with opponents rushing for 100-plus yards. But the Niners were also trailing big in those contests, meaning a sizable chunk of those yards were in volume and during garbage time.
To have a chance at winning, San Francisco will need to hold Los Angeles to less than 75 yards on the ground.