49ers vs. Rams: 5 vital matchups to watch in Week 4 on Monday night

49ers vs. Rams matchup No. 3: Cooper Kupp vs. Charvarius Ward

Ingrained within the Niners’ pass defense trying to limit Matthew Stafford and LA’s aerial attack is another matchup that’ll likely prove vital to the game’s outcome.

As was the case last year, All-Pro wide receiver Cooper Kupp figures to be a major X-factor for Los Angeles, and San Francisco shouldn’t have any trouble recognizing this after he recorded three 100-plus-yard games over the course of last season, including dominating the 49ers during the NFC Championship last February.

To date, though, Kupp hasn’t quite looked the part of an All-Pro and has a great-but-not-dominant 280 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

For player-versus-player matchups, Kupp lining up opposite the Niners’ big-ticket free-agent pickup from the offseason, cornerback Charvarius Ward, should be awfully intriguing.

Ward has made a massive difference, and he already has three passes broken up, a forced fumble, and an interception while opposing quarterbacks are posting a meager 35.4 passer rating when targeting him.

Easily Los Angeles’ most potent offensive weapon, Ward and the rest of San Francisco’s defense bottling up Kupp is going to be a deciding factor during the contest.