The Los Angeles Rams have had their share of struggles against the San Francisco 49ers on the road and will look to undo recent history on Monday night. In a matchup of NFC West titans, this game has all the makings of an instant classic, and the Rams’ chances of success hinge on one factor in particular; their ability to contain the 49ers’ running game.
San Francisco brings an extra fold into this aspect of their offense with wide receiver Deebo Samuel playing a huge part in keeping defenses honest when he steps on the field. Samuel’s dual role as a rushing and receiving threat will be hard for Los Angeles to contain, but head coach Sean McVay told reporters on Thursday that he hopes linebacker Bobby Wagner will be able to make a big difference in their attempt to limit yardage on the ground.
“I think just in general, having respect for Bobby as a whole, what he can bring from player, from a production, from a leadership, all of the above,” McVay explained of his prized veteran linebacker. “That is certainly one of the things that I think has been a great trait of his. The physicality at the point of attack to knock back tackles, the concept trigger, the awareness.
“Certainly, anytime that you’re talking about division opponents, especially a great division opponent like this one that is definitely a part of it. It’s not exclusively that, but he’s a guy that when you look at those matchups, just with the amount of crossover, I thought he’s always played well in any game, but he’s done a good job when they played the Niners when he’s been in Seattle.”
The importance of Wagner’s experience against San Francisco can’t be understated. His knowledge of the 49ers’ offense should prove to be invaluable to the Rams as they look to bottle up their potent ground-game, and maintain their spot at the top of the NFC West.