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

49ers vs. Rams matchup No. 1: Jimmy Garoppolo vs. LA pass defense

Both Matthew Stafford and the Niners’ own quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, are prone to turning the ball over. This was a factor during the NFC Championship game a season ago, and there’s little reason to suspect anything different in Week 4.

Without diving too deep into the bad memories, Garoppolo simply wasn’t good at all during his first start of the year in Week 3, and both his stepping out of bounds in the end zone for a safety and that comeback-killing fourth-quarter interception stand as dreadful moments in the loss to the Broncos.

Perhaps Garoppolo bounces back well enough versus Los Angeles, as few performances could be as bad as the one he endured in Denver.

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That said, Garoppolo is still going to be under duress from players like Aaron Donald and Rams EDGE Leonard Floyd, while understanding LA’s defense is tied for fourth best in the NFL through three weeks with seven defensive takeaways.

Sure, the Rams have surrendered 758 pass yards through the air, which ranks 11th most over that same span.

Yet Garoppolo’s tendency of tossing interceptions offsets that, and he’ll need to be on the better side of the turnover equation in contrast to Stafford.

These two NFC West rivals kick off on Monday, Oct. 3 at 8:15 p.m. ET from Levi’s Stadium.