4 distinct advantages 49ers have over NFC West rival Rams

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Los Angeles Rams linebacker Bobby Wagner. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

49ers advantage No. 3: Rams have the weaker linebacker corps

Moving on from non-roster advantages, both LA and San Francisco boast edges over the other in one spot or another. Los Angeles arguably has the better cornerback room, while both teams’ wide receiver corps probably cancel each other out.

And while both teams boast All-Pro linebackers, the 49ers with Fred Warner and now the Rams with former Seahawks backer Bobby Wagner, the edge appears to be going in the Niners’ favor.

At least according to Pro Football Focus, which ranked San Francisco’s linebacker group No. 1 in the entire league entering 2022:

"It’s hard to overstate Fred Warner‘s effect on the 49ers’ defense in their run to the NFC championship in 2021. Amid replacement-level cornerback and safety play at times, Warner’s gravitas over the middle of the field allowed the team to play a high percentage of zone coverage to protect its outside cornerbacks. His elite run-stopping ability was on display against the Packers in the divisional round, too. After missing most of the regular season, Dre Greenlaw came back for the end of the regular season and playoffs to form the perfect linebacker tandem with Warner."

Warner is the cornerstone piece here, yet PFF didn’t call out just how vital No. 3 linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair was to the 49ers in the wake of Greenlaw’s lengthy groin injury suffered in Week 1.

Meanwhile, LA’s linebacker group isn’t bad, especially with Wagner in tow. But with him entering the tail end of his career, PFF ranked this particular crop 11th in the league.

Sounds like a notable advantage there.