The 2-3 San Francisco 49ers will take on the 4-1 Los Angeles Rams in Week 6 in what is very close to a must-win game for the Niners.
The 49ers are coming off two-straight bad losses to the Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins, with the latter team defeating San Francisco by a final score of 43-17. The 49ers are going to have their hands full with the Rams, who are off to a hot start on the young season after having a down campaign in 2019 following a trip to the Super Bowl in 2018.
With the 49ers-Rams game coming up, ClutchPoints has made four bold predictions for the contest from a Niners perspective.
1. Jimmy Garoppolo will bounce back from putrid Dolphins game
Jimmy Garoppolo made his return to the lineup in Week 5 against the Dolphins. However, he was terrible from start to finish.
Jimmy G finished the game 7-of-17 for 77 yards and two picks for the 49ers. He was sacked three times and eventually pulled from the game by head coach Kyle Shanahan.
Garoppolo is expected to be under center Sunday against the Rams despite a lingering high-ankle sprain. Look for the 28-year-old to have a solid bounce-back game and remind everyone he's still one of the better quarterbacks in the game.
On the season, Garoppolo has thrown for 467 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions while completing 60.6 percent of his passes for the 49ers. He's 3-0 in his career against the Rams, though Garoppolo hasn't exactly lit it up. He's thrown three touchdowns and five picks in his three starts against the Rams, but the wins are all that matter at the end of the day and the 49ers are certainly hoping Garoppolo can find his groove again versus Los Angeles.
2. 49ers will pick off Jared Goff two times
Rams quarterback Jared Goff has thrown 12 touchdowns and only three interceptions in six games against the 49ers. Look for that positive trend to change in Week 6, as the Niners' defense will be motivated to get after the former No. 1 overall pick and force some errant throws after Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Dolphins blew them out in Week 5.
The 49ers are giving up 215 passing yards per game. If the defense can make Goff uncomfortable in the pocket and take away his first and second reads, they should be able to pick off the gunslinger a few times to take some of the pressure off of their struggling offense.
Thus far on the season, the 49ers have recorded only three interceptions. That number has to rise moving forward if the team wants to get back to the Super Bowl and make up for blowing their lead against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV.
Look for the 49ers to get two interceptions against an aggressive Goff in Week 6.
3. George Kittle will have at least 10 catches and score one touchdown
George Kittle has appeared in three games for the 49ers this season. He has 23 receptions for 271 yards.
However, the star tight end has only reached the end zone once. That has to change for the 49ers to regain their explosive offense. Look for Kittle to get a lot of targets against the Rams and rack up at least 10 catches. The Pro-Bowler should also be able to find himself in the end zone assuming Garoppolo makes the right reads from the pocket.
In six career games against the Rams, Kittle has caught 32 balls for 537 yards and three touchdowns. He should be able to have a big game against the rival Rams since it's such a crucial contest for the struggling Niners.
4. 49ers upset Rams to improve to 3-3
The Rams are favored to win this game since they are rolling on offense and defense and the Niners just got smacked by the Dolphins.
However, the 49ers are going to win this game behind a spirited effort from their offense and defense. The team can't afford to drop to 2-4 since the NFC West is undoubtedly the toughest division in football and it doesn't appear San Fran will be able to win the division.
With that being said, it looks like the 49ers will have to clinch a Wild Card spot to get into the 2020 playoffs this season. Thus far, the team has suffered from the Super Bowl hangover; most clubs who lose the big game usually tend to fall off drastically the next season.
49ers fans are praying their favorite football team doesn't turn into the Atlanta Falcons, who blew a 28-3 lead to the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl and haven't been the same since.
To save their 2020 season, the Niners pretty much have to defeat the Rams. Otherwise, they'll fall even lower in the NFC standings and face low odds of making the playoffs.
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