5 X-factors that determine if 49ers beat Rams to make Super Bowl

X-Factor No. 3: Are 49ers or Rams going to be better on third down?

One of the better indicators of which team stands a good chance of winning games is how effective it can be on third down, both on offense and defense.

In this regard, LA has a notable advantage on both sides of the ball, both in terms of converting third-down tries and preventing its opponent from doing so.

Rams third-down success rate

• Offense: 43.7 percent (seventh)
• Defense: 38.6 percent (12th)

49ers third-down success rate

• Offense: 40.4 percent (14th)
• Defense: 39.8 percent (18th)

Both teams were better than 50 percent on converting back in Week 18, Los Angeles going 10-of-17 on third downs, whereas the Niners were 9-of-14. In Week 10, however, San Francisco held the Rams to a lowly 3-of-10 mark on third downs and won convincingly, 31-10.

The latter kind of performance is obviously what the 49ers are going to be gunning for in the NFC Championship game, but equally as important will be the Niners staying above the 50-percent threshold of successfully executing those third-down tries.