49ers must exploit these 3 Rams problems in Week 8
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: 49ers can easily win turnover battle vs. Rams
A major reason why San Francisco has lost its last two games was due to being on the wrong side of the turnover equation, committing three turnovers each in bouts versus the Atlanta Falcons and Kansas City Chiefs while forcing defensive takeaways only twice during that same span.
That’s not a positive trend, and the 49ers are now minus-3 in the turnover-differential department.
Yet LA is notably worse at minus-5.
Matthew Stafford has already tossed eight interceptions against six touchdowns this season, and those eight picks rank second most among qualifying quarterbacks despite his team appearing in only six games. And Stafford’s 3.6 interception percentage is fifth highest in the NFL, too.
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Stafford, not unlike Niners quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, is prone to tossing at least one of those interceptions per game, and San Francisco could easily take advantage of that tendency by forcing at least one takeaway, preferably two.
While Los Angeles’ offense has struggled as a whole this season, the 49ers need to ensure that trend continues by being on the right side of the turnover differential in Week 8.