NFL preview: St. Louis Rams vs. San Francisco 49ers cling desperately to play-off hopes
It’s hard to believe that a team can start their season 0-5 but still be in their division race in November. That’s the case with the San Francisco 49ers who started 0-5. The 49ers now sit at 2-6 while
the Rams sit at 4-4 on top of the NFC West.
Ever-optimistic head coach Mike Singletary refuses to give up on the season, saying even when his team was 1-6 that he believed they would recover and win their division. They got the win across the Atlantic
Ocean in London two weeks ago and now had the bye week last week.
The Rams are coming off their bye as well, but will have to travel to the West Coast, which should help the 49ers.
The 49ers will start Troy Smith at quarterback for the first game of the season, after Smith took the reigns last game following an injury to the underachieving Alex Smith. Smith will now have to outduel
perhaps the best quarterback in the division in Sam Bradford.
The Rams are one of the many surprises in this NFL season ,thanks to the play of their rookie quarterback. Bradford looks older than his age, not in appearance, but in pocket presence and leadership. He
has sparked the Rams this year to a good start and he’s done it without his top two receivers, Mark Clayton and Donnie Avery who are both on injured reserve.
St. Louis can thank the reliable Steven Jackson as well, who has made life a little easier for his rookie quarterback. Jackson is the workhorse of the Rams’ offence and has helped carry a team low on experience.
Since 2006, Jackson has averaged 120.8 yards from scrimmage per game. He’s the constant in the improving Rams.
The 49ers hope to get their running game going as well. Frank Gore is a powerful back, but with two rookies on the offensive line, running the ball has been a challenge for the 49ers; they rank 21st
in the league, with 98.6 yards per game. Gore also leads the team in receptions with 38 catches for 348 yards and two touchdowns.
While the 49ers’ receiving corps has not been a factor this season, the play of tight end Vernon Davis has carried the passing game. Davis had 13 touchdowns last season and leads the team with 434 receiving
yards on 33 catches and four touchdowns.
While many like to talk about the play of Bradford, the Rams’ defensive players are the unsung heroes of the season. Linebacker James Laurinaitis leads the team with 54 tackles and is becoming a great
leader for the defence.
The play of the defence has to be accredited to head coach Steve Spagnuolo. Spagnuolo was known for his great defensive system as the New York Giants’ defensive coordinator in their recent Super Bowl run.
That is the reason the Rams hired him in 2009 and after a 1-15 campaign a year ago, Spagnuolo’s fingerprints are all over this team. The defence allows only 17.6 points per game (sixth in the NFL) and 97.8 rushing yards per game (seventh).
Singletary’s claim of his team being able to win the division looks very realistic right now. A win on Sunday puts the 49ers just one game back of the division lead, with four divisional games left on
their schedule. Meanwhile, a win for the Rams will cement them as the favorites to win the west.
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