Tag: 49ers rams

Christian McCaffrey THROWS for 1st TD with 49ers

Christian McCaffrey THROWS for his first TD with the #49ers.

[sendtonews_embed video_id=”qWxU6Q2nrK-2330539-7498″]

The 49ers got creative on their second drive Sunday. On a second-and-8 from the Rams’ 34, Jimmy Garoppolo threw a backward pass to Christian McCaffrey, who straightened up and threw a dime to a wide open Brandon Aiyuk to tie the game at 7-7. That’s the second year in a row the 49ers have had a position player throw a TD against the Rams. Last season Deebo Samuel hit Jauan Jennings for a score in LA.

The 3 Keys to the 49ers sweeping the Rams in Week 8

3 keys to a 49ers victory over the Rams, by @nicholasmcgee24:

[sendtonews_embed video_id=”3mJ52dY5ek-2322596-7498″]

The 49ers have plenty at stake in their Week 8 clash with the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium.

Following back-to-back defeats, the Niners have gone from first to third in the NFC West at 3-4.

But, should they prevail and sweep the Rams, the 49ers will have a 3-0 record in the division and the tiebreaker over Los Angeles, a potentially crucial point in their favor in what looks set to be a tight division race.

Lose and drop to 3-5, and the Niners will be facing an uphill battle after the bye to secure a spot in the playoffs.

San Francisco will have to try to beat the Rams without the injured Deebo Samuel, the All-Pro wide receiver the headliner among a host of absentees. Here we look at the keys to the 49ers claiming triumph despite the loss of their best offensive player.

How will the 49ers use Christian McCaffrey in critical Rams matchup?

The new 49ers RB should be a standout in Sunday’s matchup against the Rams. @nicholasmcgee24 goes through how San Francisco might use him:

Despite an extremely tight turnaround after his trade from the Panthers last week, Christian McCaffrey made an impact in his debut for the 49ers in Week 7, delivering efficient production across his 10 touches.

McCaffrey averaged 6.2 yards per touch for San Francisco as the Niners lost 44-23 to the Kansas City Chiefs.

The former All-Pro was already set to have a vastly more expanded role in his second game, a critical NFC West encounter with the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium this Sunday, even before Deebo Samuel was ruled out with a hamstring injury.

With Samuel on the sideline, McCaffrey’s versatile skill set figures to be integral to the 49ers’ hopes of claiming a victory that will move them back to 4-4, but how will he influence the San Francisco offense in what is their most important game of the season so far?



Behind Enemy Lines: What’s up with the Rams?

What’s going on with the Rams? We touched base with the great @camdasilva for some insight:

The 49ers and Rams are getting their matchups out of the way early this year. A Week 8 showdown at SoFi Stadium national ensures there won’t be any Week 18 drama, but that doesn’t mean the game is without consequence.

Los Angeles is coming out of its Bye at 3-3, a half game up on 3-4 San Francisco for second place in the division. The 49ers are going into their Bye and looking for a 3-0 record against the NFC West. Division record is key in playoff tiebreakers.

While the 49ers and Rams just played in Week 4, both teams go into Week 8 with a little bit different look. We wanted to see where LA was coming out of its bye, so we reached out to Rams Wire managing editor Cam DaSilva to get an idea of what the 49ers are facing Sunday.

Kyle Shanahan: We definitely want to get George Kittle the ball more

49ers HC Kyle Shanahan wants TE George Kittle to get the ball more.

It’s been a quiet 2022 for 49ers star tight end George Kittle. A groin injury forced him out of the first two games, but his impact as a pass catcher hasn’t been felt since his Week 3 return. Head coach Kyle Shanahan would like to change that.

Kittle in two games has just six catches for 52 yards on nine targets. Last season he had four games with nine-plus targets. While Kittle is a valuable blocker in the run game, and now in the pass game with injuries on the offensive line, Shanahan said he’d prefer to give Kittle more looks in the passing game.

“Yeah, the more Kittle is out there and healthy, the more he practices, the more he can get back in the routine,” Shanahan told reporters Wednesday. “I think that stuff will take care of itself. The plays that went to him, I thought he did a good job on in the game. Kittle affects the game in so many ways, the run and the pass. We definitely want to get him the ball more, but it’s something we’re not that concerned about. We think it’ll take care of itself as we get going.”

There are a handful of factors that could be limiting Kittle’s production. The injury and a lack of preseason snaps could certainly be leading to some early-season hiccups where the team doesn’t want to force-feed him the ball.

He also stayed in as an extra blocker for a handful of plays against the Rams. Even when he holds a block for a moment before heading out into a route it’s hard to earn targets in a quick passing game like the one the 49ers tend to employ.

It may also be a product of Shanahan’s evolution as a play caller. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo thrives in the middle of the field, and defenses are going to give plenty of attention to the tight end when he’s a threat in the passing game. Shanahan could be getting creative and using Kittle to pull defenders away from the middle to open things up for other playmakers.

Monday night when he was running routes there were times he was running quick outs off the line and pulling LBs away from the middle. There were also some longer-developing deep routes where he wasn’t open, Garoppolo didn’t throw it, or Garoppolo didn’t have time to throw it.

Shanahan has never been a coach that forces the ball to his playmakers, but Kittle is too valuable to be as absent as he’s been from the passing game. The 49ers offense is better when he’s involved. The head coach surely knows that and it sounds like there could be a handful of plays designed specifically for the TE when they visit Carolina on Sunday.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbxacb60r3mr0ac player_id=none image=https://ninerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[listicle id=679861]

Night night: Talanoa Hufanga snags late pick-6 vs. Rams

HUFANGA! Night night.

The 49ers defense has been excellent in 2022, and that unit put Monday night’s game away thanks to a pick-six by second-year strong safety Talanoa Hufanga. It was just an incredible, heads up, instinctual play by San Francisco’s breakout defensive star. He needed a signature play to cap his excellent start to the year, and what should be a game-sealing play on Monday Night Football is that.

Deommodore Lenoir gets 1st-career sack vs. Rams

Deommodore Lenoir’s first-career sack!

[sendtonews_embed video_id=”sSKWQO2PkS-2277757-7498″]

The 49ers defense took full advantage of a banged up Rams offensive line in the first half Monday night. They recorded four sacks behind an uncharacteristically high number of blitzes. Their fourth sack was from second-year CB Deommodore Lenoir, who notched the first of his career when he flew in untouched to wallop Matthew Stafford to force another Rams punt late in the first half.

Deebo Samuel is ridiculous

A lot of great Deebo Samuel plays, but we may have seen the best one Monday night. #49ers

[sendtonews_embed video_id=”sSKWQO2PkS-2277757-7498″]

The list of great plays by 49ers WR Deebo Samuel is long, but his 57-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown against the Rams on Monday night was the best of them.

A quick analysis of the play:

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA*deep breath*HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAH.

What a ridiculous football player.

 

WATCH: Nick Bosa gets to Matthew Stafford for 5th sack of 2022

Nick Bosa got his fifth sack of the season, but watch Arik Armstead clear the way.

Nick Bosa got his fifth sack of the season during the first quarter of the 49ers’ Week 4 showdown against the Rams. On a third-and-9, he found a pathway that defensive tackle Arik Armstead helped clear out. Rams QB Matthew Stafford never saw him and the 49ers forced a punt.

 

WATCH: Jeff Wilson Jr. goes untouched for 49ers TD

WATCH: The #49ers get on the board vs. the Rams on a 32-yard run by Jeff Wilson Jr.

The 49ers first drive against the Rams couldn’t have gone much better. They converted a pair of third downs and had a first-and-10 at the Rams’ 32. Coming out of a timeout they called RB Jeff Wilson Jr.’s number and he found a crease on a perfectly-blocked play to cruise in untouched for a 32-yard score.