The San Francisco 49ers (12-7) and Los Angeles Rams (14-5) square off in the NFC Championship Sunday with a trip to Super Bowl LVI on the line. Kickoff from SoFi Stadium is at 6:30 p.m. ET (on FOX). Below, we look at the 49ers vs. Rams odds and lines, and make our best NFL picks, predictions and bets.
San Francisco upset the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers in the first two rounds of the playoffs. The 49ers have won four in a row, the last three as underdogs. Their most recent win came against the Packers in the Divisional Round, a 13-10 victory despite not scoring an offensive touchdown. Their only touchdown came on SS Talanoa Hufanga’s 6-yard return of a blocked punt with 4:41 to go to tie it at 10-10, and K Robbie Gould’s field goal won it as time expired.
The Rams were stunned by the 49ers in Week 18 after blowing a 17-point lead, losing 27-24 in overtime. Since then, Los Angeles crushed the visiting Arizona Cardinals in a Wild Card matchup and staved off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Divisional Round, winning on K Matt Gay’s field goal as time expired. This postseason, QB Matthew Stafford has 6 touchdowns (4 passing, 2 rushing) against zero interceptions in notching the first two playoff victories of his career.
49ers at Rams odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Saturday at 12:27 a.m. ET.
- Money line: 49ers +145 (bet $100 to win $145) | Rams -180 (bet $180 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): 49ers +3.5 (-115) | Rams -3.5 (-105)
- Over/Under (O/U): 45.5 (O: -112 | U: -108)
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49ers at Rams key injuries
49ers
- OL Trent Williams (ankle) questionable
Rams
- WR Van Jefferson (knee) questionable
- OL Joe Noteboom (chest) doubtful
- S Taylor Rapp (concussion) questionable
Let’s Make This Interesting
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49ers at Rams odds, lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Rams 27, 49ers 20
Money line
BET LOS ANGELES (-180) to win outright.
The Rams should have steamrolled the 49ers in Week 18. Los Angeles led 17-0 in the second quarter until the San Francisco kicked a field goal as the first-half clock expired. The Rams blew the lead in the second half after a couple of miscommunications in the secondary led to big plays.
L.A.s should have blown out Tampa Bay in the Division Round, too, but 4 lost fumbles and a missed field goal let the Bucs back in it.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Rams beat the 49ers by double digits in this game. It’s a matter of not beating themselves with turnovers and missed tackles because on paper, Los Angeles is the better team.
More NFL Championship coverage:
Against the spread
BACK LOS ANGELES -3.5 (-105). The Rams easily covered the spread in their last two playoff games and are 10-9 ATS this season.
The 49ers are an impressive 11-8 after covering in their last four and in nine of their last 11 games, but this line should be a bit higher than 3.5 points.
More often than not, when the Rams win, they win comfortably. Only two of their 12 regular-season win were by fewer than 7 points.
Over/Under
TAKE THE OVER 45.5 (-112).
In the last 10 meetings between these NFC West rivals, the total has only gone Over 3 times.
But this line is quite low at just 45.5 points. That’s because the 49ers have only scored 2 offensive touchdowns this postseason and are coming off a game in which they only scored 13 points.
If the Rams can give Stafford time, the offense will move the ball consistently. With how poorly L.A. tackled in the regular-season finale loss to San Francisco (19 missed tackles), the 49ers should gain yardage consistently on the ground, too.
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