49ers must exploit these 3 Rams problems in Week 8

The 49ers look to sweep the season series against the Rams on Sunday, and they’ll do so if they can take advantage of some of Los Angeles’ weaknesses.

The Los Angeles Rams have done nothing to convince the rest of the NFL that a Super Bowl “hangover” isn’t a real thing.

At 3-3 and coming off a bye week, LA isn’t all too different than the San Francisco 49ers in that both teams have struggled to find consistency, particularly on offense, and both squads have certainly lost games they otherwise should have won against inferior opponents.

Good thing for the Niners that they already own one victory over Los Angeles this season stemming back from the one-sided domination at Levi’s Stadium in Week 4.

San Francisco looks to sweep the season series this Sunday when it travels to Southern California and hopes to have the Faithful take over SoFI Stadium as they did twice last year. And, as 1.5-point road favorites, according to the oddsmakers at WynnBET, the 49ers should be able to beat Los Angeles if they exploit these three key Rams weaknesses.

No. 1: 49ers must dominate weak Rams O-line

A major reason why LA hasn’t found the offensive rhythm it had for much of 2021 is because of a rather shoddy offensive line, one that Pro Football Focus ranked next to last in the entire NFL entering Week 8:

"Another line where injuries have laid waste to a group that was already struggling, the Rams are now starting a slew of backups in key spots. The Rams have the league’s worst pass-blocking efficiency and are averaging just 1.0 yards before contact in the run game, tied for the fifth-worst mark in the NFL."

Granted, the Niners’ own defensive line is banged up and is still missing defensive tackles Arik Armstead (foot) and Javon Kinlaw (knee), but the pass-rushing tandem of Nick Bosa and Samson Ebukam figures to exploit fill-in starters such as Alaric Jackson and Oday Aboushi.

The last time these two teams met, San Francisco sacked Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford seven times, which proved to be a vital statistic in the 49ers’ Week 4 win.

Anything remotely close to that would likely ensure the Niners back up that victory with another.