As far as prime-time football games are concerned, this Thursday’s between the Rams and 49ers could be one of the worst in a long time. Both teams have had their problems through the first two weeks of the NFL season and four of the last five meetings between the California clubs have gone well UNDER their total. Playing on a short week is tough for any team but Week 3’s opener could be an utter disaster with two rookie head coaches going head-to-head.
As far as the trends are concerned, though, it’s the 49ers who hold a distinct advantage. The Niners have owned the Rams in San Fran for nearly a decade and they’ve gone 18-6-1 straight up in their last 25 home games against NFC West opponents. While the Niners struggled for the majority of 2016, they blanked the Rams at home in Week 1 and they went 2-1 against the spread in their three divisional home games.
Underdogs tend to do weird things in the NFC West and this feels like a game that’s ripe for the unexpected.
If the Bay Area Bombers are to complete the upset, though, it probably won’t come at the hands of quarterback Brian Hoyer. The journeyman signal-caller is 39-for-62 with no touchdowns and two interceptions through two games and he has a whopping QBR of 10.2. Carlos Hyde, on the other hand, could have some room to run after the Rams gave up 229 rushing yards to the Washington Redkins. Hyde rattled off 124 yards against the stingy Seahawks on Sunday and is an absolute must-start for fantasy owners in Week 3.
San Francisco’s defense has been better than expected as well, allowing the ninth-fewest yards per game so far and if Hoyer had been able to do anything against the ’Hawks on Sunday, the 49ers would’ve won.
Both teams will probably rush the ball upwards of 30 times on Thursday and if that happens, the score will stay low and tight. TNF could be chalking up another really ugly one after the Bengals and Texans put on a punting exhibition just a week ago – I recommend keeping the bleach handy if you bet on this one.
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Sportsbook Odds & Computer Pick
The San Francisco 49ers were 3-point underdogs at oddsmaker shops such as Sportsbook, while the NFL total was set at 42 for OVER/UNDER totals betting.
OddsShark NFL prediction models pointed to a 19-18 result in favor of the Rams on Thursday. View the computer score prediction and who will win the pick on the moneyline for all upcoming NFL matchups here.
Los Angeles Rams vs San Francisco 49ers Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
Supporters of the Los Angeles Rams have seen them go 1-1 and 1-1 ATS so far this season, while the San Francisco 49ers are at 0-2 and 1-1 ATS. In totals betting, the 49ers are 0-2, while the Rams are 1-0-1. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and San Francisco vs Los Angeles injuries news.
The 49ers-Rams odds would favor the 49ers if the betting lines were set according to power ranks. San Francisco is rated No. 30 in our latest OddsShark poll, while the Rams sit at No. 32.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
In their last game, the Rams were Week 2 losers coming out on the wrong end of a 27-20 score against Washington.
Carlos Hyde ran through the Seattle defense for 124 yards in San Francisco's last game, but the 49ers still lost a 12-9 decision at CenturyLink Field.
Next Betting Matchups
Los Angeles at Dallas, Sunday, October 1
San Francisco at Arizona, Sunday, October 1