All eyes will be on the west coast Sunday night as a pair of NFC West foes face off with a Super Bowl berth on the line. The 49ers have won six straight against the Rams, including a 17-point comeback in Week 18 to clinch a spot in the playoffs. San Francisco then rode that momentum into Dallas and Green Bay as it pulled off a pair of road upsets to begin the playoffs.
Meanwhile, the Rams took care of business against the Cardinals, then traveled to Tampa Bay and upset the defending champion Buccaneers. Will the 49ers, who lost the Super Bowl in 2020, get another shot at the title? Or will the Rams finally figure out a way to beat the 49ers and get another chance to play for a championship after coming so close to winning one in 2019?
San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams
What: NFC Championship Game
Date: Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022
Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
TV: FOX
Spread: Rams -3.5
Over/Under: 45.5
Moneyline: Rams – 170; 49ers +150
49ers At A Glance
The 49ers rely heavily on their defense and rushing attack, but the passing game is going to need to step up to secure victory on Sunday. The defense, which finished third in total defense during the regular season, has done its part in the playoffs, holding the Cowboys and Packers to a combined 27 points through two games. Special teams also came up big for San Francisco, blocking a field goal before half and then scoring the game-tying touchdown on a blocked punt late in the fourth quarter against the Packers.
"They blocked the punt!!!"
Here's the radio call of the punt block heard 'round the world 📻 pic.twitter.com/cp5cxbIPHM
— Sam Hustis (@SamHustis) January 23, 2022
The 49ers, as has often been the case since Kyle Shanahan took over, made the necessary plays to grind out a close win. However, the team did not score an offensive touchdown and Jimmy Garoppolo went 11-of-19 for 131 yards and an interception. Simply put, that won’t be good enough to beat the Rams. San Francisco is going to need to score touchdowns and, to make matters worse, it may need to do so without some of its best players at full strength as Deebo Samuel, Trent Williams and others were banged up late in the win over Green Bay.
On the other side of the ball, the 49ers have been playing well and need to keep applying pressure. The Rams turned the ball over four times against the Buccaneers and if San Francisco’s opportunistic defense is able to generate a few turnovers of their own, that could swing the momentum.
Rams At A Glance
This is why the Rams went out and acquired Matthew Stafford. The Rams were a good team with Jared Goff, but Stafford raises the ceiling and so far, he’s delivered. The 33-year-old quarterback won his first career playoff game a couple weeks ago and is now on the verge of playing in his first Super Bowl. Stafford threw for 366 yards and two touchdowns against Tampa Bay and has led the Rams offense to 64 points through two playoff games.
Stafford to Kupp was a winning combination in the Divisional Round. 🙌@RamsNFL | #RamsHouse pic.twitter.com/zKOYezkCa8
— NFL (@NFL) January 24, 2022
With Cooper Kupp, Odell Beckham Jr. and Tyler Higbee, the Rams offense is full of playmakers, but Sean McVay’s offense will be tested against a San Francisco defense that has performed well in this matchup.
Defensively, the Rams will need to find a way to slow down the San Francisco rushing attack. The 49ers rushed for 156 and 135 yards in the first two meetings between these teams this season. If the Rams are able to shut down the rushing attack, the game will rest on Garoppolo’s shoulders and that’s a matchup that favors Los Angeles.
Prediction
While there will be a large contingent of 49ers fans in the building, the Rams are playing at home and are the better team on paper. You’d think that’d make this game easy to predict, but sometimes certain matchups matter more than overall talent and the 49ers have had the Rams’ number of late — you don’t beat a team six straight times by accident. That being said, I think the Rams come out on top here, though I’ve liked the 49ers throughout the playoffs and could also see them eking out a narrow victory. This game has all the makings of a close contest between a pair of teams who know each other well. While the outcome may not be decided until late, the under may be the play.
Pick: Rams 20, 49ers 16
