Today, the San Francisco 49ers will play host to the St. Louis Rams at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. It will be the teams' second meeting of the season.
The 49ers (4-3), who two weeks ago lost to the Denver Broncos by the score of 42-17, are coming off of a much needed bye week. Last week, the Rams (2-5) were defeated 34-7 by the Kansas City Chiefs.
The 49ers defense will start seeing some key players returning over the next few weeks. This week could see the return of linebacker Patrick Willis, who missed the game two weeks ago with a toe injury. He is listed as questionable and his status will be a game-time decision. While he has said that he is getting better every day, he still feels pain each time he takes a step.
The team will likely have to wait on the return of Aldon Smith. The league has not yet announced an early return for the linebacker, who is serving a nine-game suspension for violations of the NFL's personal conduct and substance abuse policies.
Jimmie Ward, who is listed as probable after a quadricep injury, is likely to play against the Rams. As is cornerback Chris Culliver. Cornerback Tramaine Brock is listed as questionable.
The offense will see the return of lineman Mike Iupati, who suffered a concussion against during the team's last meeting with the Rams. That line lost Daniel Kilgore for the season after he suffered a fractured left ankle against the Broncos. Rookie Marcus Martin will attempt to fill in for the remainder of the season.
During the two teams' last meeting, 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick went 22 of 35 for 343 yards and three touchdowns on the road in St. Louis. Compare that to Rams quarterback Austin Davis, who went 21 of 42 for 236 yards, a touchdown and an interception. That interception was in the final moments of the game, clinching a 49ers' win.
This season, the Rams have had injury problems as well. Their latest includes left tackle Jake Long, who tore his ACL last week against the Chiefs. It is his second serious knee injury in the past 10 months. Also lost for the season is receiver Brian Quick, who suffered a shoulder injury.
Former 49ers head coach George Seifert will be inducted into the team's Hall of Fame today.
As usual, you can visit 49erswebzone.com for the latest news and updates during and after the game.
Offensive Rankings:
The 49ers rank 11th with 357.4 yards per game. The Rams rank 22nd with 336.4 yards per game.
Defensive Rankings:
The 49ers rank 2nd, allowing 306 yards per game. The Rams rank 19th, allowing 375.6 yards per game.
Last Meeting:
After trailing early by 14, the 49ers beat the Rams 31-17 in St. Louis, Missouri on October 13th.
Kickoff:
The game kicks off at 1:05 PM PT.
Betting:
The 49ers are 10 point favorites.
Fan Picks:
At Yahoo! Sports, 88% of fans believe that the 49ers will win this game. Within our
Pick 'em contest, 99% of fans believe that the 49ers will win this game.
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Television:
The game will be televised nationally on FOX. You can check to see if the game is being aired in your area at
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San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Arik Armstead joined NFL Network's Good Morning Football on Thursday to discuss the state of the team at the start of organized team activities (OTAs). Armstead is part of a defensive line that includes NFL Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa and added former Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Javon Hargrave.
The question that had to be asked: Does San Francisco own the best defensive line in football?
"Well, on paper, I guess you could say that, but 'on paper' doesn't win any game," Armstead responded. "But we're excited about getting together and starting that journey of
It's premature to draw conclusions about a quarterback based on practices in May. That is especially true when you do so based on one practice. The San Francisco 49ers started organized team activities (OTAs) this week, and all eyes were on Trey Lance and Sam Darnold.
The two players are battling for that QB2 job behind last season's rookie sensation, Brock Purdy. One could even start Week 1 if Purdy is not healthy enough to do so himself.
Lance is coming off a season-ending ankle injury but looks completely healthy now. Darnold is trying to turn his career around after never living up to his high draft status.
Matt Barrows of The Athletic was on hand for Tuesday's practice, the only one open to reporters so far, and one that Barrows describes as a
One of the biggest criticisms about Jimmy Garoppolo has been his availability. The quarterback wins football games but has been available for an entire season just once in his career—in 2019.
Garoppolo's latest injury occurred on December 4 while with the San Francisco 49ers. The veteran left a regular-season game against the Miami Dolphins with a foot injury. It was later revealed that he suffered a broken foot and would miss significant time. However, it wasn't believed to require surgery.
That led to the emergence of Brock Purdy, the seventh-round draft pick that took the NFL by storm. He led the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game before suffering an injury himself.
Garoppolo remained on the 49ers' 53-man roster through all that. The 49ers
Sometimes who is teaching is as important as what is being taught
Earlier this week, when the San Francisco 49ers opened up an OTAs session to the media, most of the eyes, in person and online, were on third-year quarterback Trey Lance's new delivery. Lance, of course, had been working with QB guru, Jeff Christensen, and thanks to some leaked footage of Lance throwing with Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, along with a very well-timed piece by Matt Barrows in The Athletic, there was plenty of
