Tag: 49ers rams

49ers to elevate WR Willie Snead IV to active roster for MNF

The #49ers are elevating WR Willie Snead IV to the active roster for Monday night’s game.

The 49ers are adding some depth to their receiving corps for their Monday night showdown against the Rams.

With rookie WR Danny Gray listed as ‘doubtful’ with a hip injury, veteran receiver Willie Snead IV will be elevated to the active roster from the practice squad according to Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson.

Snead was with the 49ers for a portion of the preseason and was let go as part of the cut down to 53 players. He signed with the practice squad and will now get a chance to contribute against the Rams.

He joins a receiving corps with Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings and Ray-Ray McCloud.

Snead in 95 games across seven seasons has 279 catches, 3,431 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns. Monday night will be Snead’s first game since Week 15 of last season when he was with the Panthers.

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NFL Week 4 results make 49ers matchup vs. Rams even bigger

Fun with early-season sample sizes: The #49ers can either be in first place or last place after Monday night.

As if the first 49ers-Rams meeting since the NFC championship game in January needed some extra intrigue, results from the Week 4 slate make it an important early-season NFC West bout.

The day started with an upset for one of the 49ers divisional foes. Seattle went into Detroit as the underdogs and led by 15 going into the fourth quarter. The Lions kept swinging back and staying in the game, but the Seahawks always had an answer and held on for a wild 48-45 win in the Motor City. That moved the Seahawks to 2-2 on the season.

In the afternoon it was Arizona’s turn to stay near the top of the NFC West race. They visited the Panthers and got off to a rocky start, falling behind 10-3 at the half and in general looking disjointed the way they have for most of their 1-2 start to the year. The second half was a different story. The Cardinals outscored Carolina 23-6 in the final two quarters and rolled to a 26-16 victory. That moved them to 2-2 for the year to keep pace with the now 2-2 Seahawks a half game behind the 2-1 Rams.

Sitting behind in the race are the 49ers and their 1-2 record. That’s why this game becomes so crucial for San Francisco. Given their injury situation and a difficult stretch of their schedule coming up, they need to start stacking some division wins and keep from falling multiple games behind.

A win would put the entire division in a four-way tie at 2-2. A loss would push the 49ers to last place, a full game behind both Seattle and Arizona. They’d also be two games behind the 3-1 Rams (though that was the case regardless of the other outcomes). That difference is stark for a club like San Francisco where the margin for error isn’t particularly large.

Bouncing back from a disastrous Week 3 to take home a Week 4 win was always going to be important, but the chance to stay up in first place instead of sitting in last is enough to add a little extra motivation for the 49ers on Monday night (just in case they weren’t already motivated by a divisional game against a team that beat them in the NFC championship game nine months ago).

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6 ways 49ers can avoid repeat of Week 3 disaster in Week 4

Key things the 49ers struggled with in Week 3 that need to improve to get a win over the Rams in Week 4.

The 49ers need a bounce-back performance in the worst way. Their abysmal 11-10 loss to the Broncos in Denver pushed them to 1-2 heading into a matchup with their division rival Los Angeles Rams.

While a terrible Sunday night showing can’t be construed as ‘good,’ it can be viewed through the lens of some early-season hiccups that can be improved. We went back through last week’s game to find the problems San Francisco most needs to fix to sneak out of Week 4 with a much needed victory.

Behind Enemy Lines: Are the Rams still good?

A Q & A with our “friends” over at the Rams Wire wherein we try to find out whether the Rams are still good.

The 49ers and Rams will face off Monday night for the first time since their NFC championship showdown in January.

Los Angeles got the better of San Francisco that night en route to a Super Bowl win. The Rams were the better team that afternoon, but are they still the better team heading into Week 4 of the 2022 campaign?

The records say yes with LA sitting at 2-1, a game ahead of the 1-2 49ers, but a couple bounces of the ball could easily see those records flipped. To get a better idea of how the Rams look this season, we sat down with the Rams Wire’s John Dillon (shoutout to the homie Cam DaSilva) and asked him some questions about this year’s club.

49ers 1 shy of Steelers for most MNF wins

The #49ers can tie for the all-time MNF wins record with a victory over the Rams.

The 49ers need a win Monday night against the Rams to keep pace in the NFC West. They’ll also need a win to keep pace with the Steelers on the all-time Monday Night Football wins list.

San Francisco sits in second all-time with 50 MNF wins. Their 50th victory came last year against the Rams in Week 10. Ahead of them sit the Pittsburgh Steelers at 51 MNF victories. That 50th win for the 49ers briefly tied them with Pittsburgh, but the Steelers last season knocked off the Browns 24-16 on the final Monday night game of the year in Week 17 to regain the all-time lead.

Recent history says the 49ers are in good position to snag that 51st win. They’re 10-4 in their last 14 MNF contests, and they’re 7-4 against the Rams since Kyle Shanahan took over as head coach in 2017.

San Francisco badly needs a Week 4 victory regardless of the MNF wins record. A win puts them at 2-2 and either at the top, or a game back of, the division depending on the outcome of the Cardinals’ game. Falling to 1-3 would put the 49ers in a tough spot in their hunt for a division crown and in their quest for a playoff spot.

The 49ers and Rams kick off at 5:15pm PT from Levi’s Stadium on Monday.

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Rams-49ers injury report: Arik Armstead and Javon Kinlaw miss practice again

Here’s the #49ers practice report for Thursday.

The 49ers have concerns over their top two interior defensive line players heading into their Monday Night Football matchup with the Rams.

Arik Armstead, who missed the 11-10 defeat to the Broncos in Week 3 because of a foot injury, missed Thursday practice and was a DNP again on Friday.

Worryingly, fellow defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw – who missed much of last season with a knee injury – was also absent from his second straight practice because of a knee issue.

Kevin Givens, who had a sack in an impressive game against Denver, will be expected to start again versus Los Angeles if Armstead or Kinlaw miss out. The 49ers will also likely elevate Akeem Spence from the practice squad after he played 21 snaps against Denver.

Safety Tarvarius Moore was limited in practice on Thursday but was a DNP on Friday with a hamstring concern.

Running back Tyrion Davis-Price (ankle), wide receiver Danny Gray (hip) and tight ends Ross Dwelley (rib) and Tyler Kroft (knee) all once again missed practice, along with Trent Williams and Azeez Al-Shaair. The 49ers are hopeful of keeping All-Pro left tackle Williams off injured reserve after he suffered a high ankle sprain while linebacker Al-Shaair sustained an MCL sprain in Denver.

Versatile offensive lineman Daniel Brunskill, who has not played this season, was limited for the second straight day with a hamstring injury, pointing to him potentially being active for the first time in 2022 for a game in which offensive line depth could be critical in Williams’ absence.

Practice Report

Did Not Participate in Practice

Thursday

LB Azeez Al-Shaair (knee), DL Arik Armstead (foot), RB Tyrion Davis-Price (ankle), TE Ross Dwelley (rib), WR Danny Gray (hip), DT Javon Kinlaw (knee), TE Tyler Kroft (knee), T Trent Williams (ankle)

Friday

LB Azeez Al-Shaair (knee), DL Arik Armstead (foot), RB Tyrion Davis-Price (ankle), TE Ross Dwelley (rib), WR Danny Gray (hip), DT Javon Kinlaw (knee), TE Tyler Kroft (knee), S Tarvarius Moore (hamstring), T Trent Williams (ankle)

Limited Participation in Practice

Thursday

OL Daniel Brunskill (hamstring), S Tarvarius Moore (hamstring)

Friday

OL Daniel Brunskill (hamstring)

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49ers favored at home vs. Rams despite Week 3 stumble

Despite a Week 3 hiccup, the 49ers are favored at home vs. the Rams.

A hiccup in Week 3 that pushed the 49ers to 1-2 on the season didn’t sway bettors from favoring San Francisco in their Week 4 home bout against the Rams. Tipico Sportsbook has the 49ers favored by 1.5 points on Monday night when they host Los Angeles.

Sportsbooks are far less reactionary than fans. While the 49ers’ performance in Denver was certainly dreadful, chances are that wasn’t the version of their offense we’ll see for the rest of the season. There’s a ton of bounce-back potential at home against a divisional opponent. Not to mention the 49ers have owned that divisional opponent in the regular season with six consecutive head-to-head wins.

There’s more to consider than just the 49ers’ Week 3 offensive performance though. Their defense, for example, has allowed just 3.9 yards per play through the first three weeks and they’re third in Football Outsiders’ defensive DVOA. While they’ve faced three struggling offensive, any defense that allows 28 points in three games is doing something right.

Pitting that 49ers defense against a Rams club that’s had a hard time protecting quarterback Matthew Stafford makes it easy to draw a path to a low-scoring output for Los Angeles.

If San Francisco’s offense can get right against a defense head coach Kyle Shanahan has consistently found ways to move the ball against, that 1.5 points should get covered.

Of course, there’s always a chance the 49ers offense bogs down again and even another sterling defensive performance can’t save them.

Either way, Monday night should be close despite the avalanche of criticism levied against the 49ers for their dreary Week 3 outing. They had a bounce-back win over the Rams in Week 10 last year, and Vegas is favoring them to do it again this season.

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Richard Sherman gives Ambry Thomas important advice after Cooper Kupp touchdown

Richard Sherman gave 49ers cornerback Ambry Thomas some good advice after Thomas allowed Cooper Kupp’s touchdown.

Covering Cooper Kupp this season has been an unpleasant adventure for every defense the Los Angeles Rams have faced this season. Kupp, the first NFL player to win the receiving Triple Crown (leading the league in receptions, yards, and touchdowns) since Steve Smith did it for the Panthers in 2005, caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford with 8:46 left in the first quarter of the NFC Championship game between the Rams and the San Francisco 49ers.

On the replay of the touchdown, you can see cornerback Ambry Thomas (No. 20) watching running back Sony Michel coming out of the backfield on the wheel route. The problem with that strategy is that it left Kupp wide open in the end zone, with safety Jaquiski Tartt desperately hustling over to try and stop the inevitable.

Future Hall of Fame cornerback Richard Sherman, who played for the 49ers from 2018-2020, had some timely advice for Thomas, who has stepped up as a third-round rookie to make some important plays… just not this one.

We’ll see how that plays out if the Rams have a similar offensive play call later in the game.

San Francisco 49ers vs Los Angeles Rams Prediction, Game Preview

San Francisco 49ers vs Los Angeles Rams prediction and game preview.

San Francisco 49ers vs Los Angeles Rams prediction and game preview.

San Francisco 49ers vs Los Angeles Rams Broadcast

Date: Sunday, November 29
Game Time: 4:05 ET
Venue: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA
Network: FOX

[jwplayer S0CruW1P]

– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions

San Francisco 49ers (4-6) vs Los Angeles Rams (7-3) Game Preview

For latest lines and to bet on the NFL, go to BetMGM

Why San Francisco 49ers Will Win

Some of the parts are coming back. Richard Sherman should be available, and finally, Raheem Mostert returns to the backfield to give the ground game a desperately-needed punch.

The Rams are coming off of two tough, emotional wins over Seattle and Tampa Bay. They’re not doing much with the running game – failing to get past 135 yards in six of the last seven games – and the secondary has been one of the 49ers’ biggest strengths. It allowed fewer than 200 yards through the air in the first meeting – a 24-16 win – but …

– CFN Experts Picks: NFL

Why Los Angeles Rams Will Win

The offense is giving the ball up way, way, way too often.

That win over the Rams was shocking oasis with no turnovers – San Francisco gave it up six times before the win and ten times after. The Rams are taking the ball away in bunches with nine in the last four games, and they’re about to be a +2 against a reeling team on a run of three straight losses.

– CFN Experts Picks: College

Fantasy Football Player To Watch

QB Jared Goff, Los Angeles
He might not be up there with the elite of the elite fantasy options, but he’s been rock-steady lately with three straight massive passing games – throwing for well over 300 yards in each of the last three games and with two or more touchdown passes in four of the last six games. Against the punchless 49ers, he might not have to bomb away, but he has to stay sharp and put this away fast.

What’s Going To Happen

The return of Mostert will help a little bit, but not enough. The Rams are on a nice roll of three wins in the last four games, and San Francisco isn’t dangerous enough to keep up. The Niner D will keep this from getting out of hand, but too many turnovers from the other side will be a killer in the second half.

San Francisco 49ers vs Los Angeles Rams Prediction, Line

Los Angeles 34, San Francisco 20
Bet on San Francisco vs Los Angeles with BetMGM
Los Angeles -6.5, o/u: 44.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3.5

Must See Rating: 3

5: Thanksgiving beef tenderloin
1: Thanksgiving turkey

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Schedule change: 49ers get 2 additional prime-time games vs. Packers, Rams

The 49ers got two additional prime-time games, starting with the Packers in Week 12, which is now on Sunday Night Football.

Add two more prime-time games to the 49ers’ schedule.

Their Week 12 home game against the Green Bay Packers has been flexed to Sunday night. Kickoff is now slated for 5:20 p.m. PT instead of the original 1:25 p.m. Seahawks at Eagles was the original Sunday night matchup.

The 49ers’ loss to the Seahawks put the 8-2 Packers only a half-game behind San Francisco for first place in the NFC standings.

San Francisco doesn’t have an easy Week 11 matchup. They’ll face the Arizona Cardinals, who pushed the 49ers to the brink in Week 9 before the 49ers eventually prevailed 28-25 in Arizona.

Green Bay is idle with a bye week.

That leaves two scenarios on the table for what’s now a huge Sunday night game. Either the 49ers and Packers are both 8-2 and jockeying for a first-round playoff bye, or the 49ers are a game up on the Packers with a chance to create separation.

The Week 16 showdown with the Rams at Levi’s Stadium, which did not have an official time, has been given a 5:15 p.m. PT start on Saturday, Dec. 21. That game will air on NFL Network.

That one could wind up determining the division winner depending on how the rest of the season shakes out. In their first matchup, the 49ers got the better of the Rams, 20-7, in Week 6 in Los Angeles.

This is quite a departure for the 49ers, who had their Sunday night game against the Rams last year flexed out in favor of a more competitive, meaningful matchup.

Prime-time kickoffs should only add to the electricity of two extremely big games for the 49ers in their push for a playoff spot.