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The San Francisco 49ers are trying to overcome some early season turmoil to emerge as the team to beat in the NFC West. They will have a tall task in Week 8, though, as they will be going up against their divisional rival in the Los Angeles Rams. With kickoff fast approaching, we decided to roll out our 49ers Week 6 predictions for their very important game against the Rams.
Things seemed to be looking up for San Fran after they upset the Rams back in Week 4 and blew out the Carolina Panthers in Week 5. But they suffered an upset defeat themselves in Week 6 before getting blown out by the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7, making the 49ers one of the most confusing teams in the entire league in the early going.
Heading into Week 8, San Francisco is pretty beat up, and they will have to overcome their injury woes if they want to attempt to gain control of the NFC West this weekend. This game against the Rams is huge, and could ultimately determine who ends up winning the division, so let's dive into our 49ers predictions for this game.
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3. 49ers DE Nick Bosa will sack Matthew Stafford three times
The Rams have struggled to keep Matthew Stafford standing upright in the pocket this season, and they have allowed Stafford to be sacked a staggering 22 times through just six games. That rate is easily the highest, as all the teams ahead of them, and the nine teams behind them, have all played at least seven games so far this season.
It doesn't help that the Rams will be going up against the 49ers in Week 8, who happen to have the third most sacks in the NFL this season. Playing against Los Angeles back in Week 4 likely helped, as they sacked Stafford seven times in that game alone, and prevented him and the Rams offense from getting any sort of momentum throughout the contest.
Nick Bosa was among the guys torturing Stafford on this day, as he racked up two sacks in their last meeting. Considering the fact that Bosa has racked up seven sacks in just six games so far, it's safe to expect him to be living in the Rams backfield in this game. He will up the ante from the earlier matchup this season, and end up dropping Stafford in the backfield three times throughout the game.
2. 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey will pick up 150+ total yards and two touchdowns
One of the biggest differences between this matchup and the previous matchup is that now the 49ers have Christian McCaffrey on their roster. The 49ers beat out the Rams for his services from the Carolina Panthers, and will now be hoping that he can prove why they went the extra mile to acquire him over Los Angeles.
McCaffrey was eased into the action last week, as he played just 23 offensive snaps in Week 7 against the Chiefs. McCaffrey offered a glimmer of what he can do with his new team, though, picking up 38 yards on eight carries and 24 yards on two receptions.
Heading into Week 8, it's safe to expect McCaffrey to have a bigger role than he did in his debut with his new team. The Rams have a solid run defense, but they will watch McCaffrey impact the game in a huge way as both a runner and receiver. In the end, McCaffrey will be San Francisco's primary source of offense, picking up 150+ total yards and two scores, and he will help keep the 49ers in this game.
1. The San Francisco 49ers will lose 30-26 to the Los Angeles Rams
Despite the prior two predictions, this could be a tough contest for the Rams. Los Angeles has finally gotten healthy coming off of their bye week, and the same cannot be said for the 49ers. San Francisco has already ruled out four of their starters for this game, and could be without another as Jauan Jennings is questionable for the game.
McCaffrey will help the 49ers jump out to an early 10-0 lead, but Stafford will eventually settle in, as the offensive line dials up more double teams for Bosa with Arik Armstead already ruled out for this game. Bosa's three sacks will be the only ones the 49ers get, as Stafford ends up passing for three touchdowns on the day.
The Rams will end up taking a 30-19 lead late in the game, with Jimmy Garoppolo struggling without Deebo Samuel and throwing two interceptions on the day. He will find McCaffrey for his second score late in the fourth quarter, but San Fran won't recover the ensuing onside kick, and they will see their record drop to 3-5 after another disappointing game.
