Life comes at you fast, as the San Francisco 49ers have learned the hard way. They’ll look to rebound from ugly back-to-back losses as they host the Los Angeles Rams (4-1 SU, 3-2 ATS) at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday night. Home setbacks to the Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins have the 49ers (2-2 SU, 2-2 ATS) reeling and they’ll be short-handed again Sunday.
- Date/Time: October 18, 8:20 p.m. ET
- Stadium: Levi’s Stadium
- TV Coverage: NBC
- Sportsbook Odds: 49ers -3 | O/U 49 (Line History)
- Rams vs 49ers Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
San Francisco kicked off the betting festivities as a 3-point favorite, but the line has flipped in the opposite direction with the Rams now sitting at -3.5. The total started at 49 but has risen to 50.5.
Los Angeles News & Notes
The Rams are off to a sensational start largely on the back of their defense, which has held four of their first five opponents below 20 points. Their 18.0 points per game allowed is third best in the NFL, and the Rams also allow the second-fewest passing yards (197.0) and the 10th-fewest rushing yards (106.4). Their 20 sacks are tied for the league lead with Pittsburgh.
The offense has been a pleasant surprise through five games, ranking seventh in the NFL in rushing yards (139.6) and 13th in passing yardage (264.0). If you’re looking for a daily fantasy option to trust, Robert Woods might be your guy: he has 23 catches for 300 yards and two touchdowns through five games, with both of those scores coming over his previous three outings.
San Francisco News & Notes
The 49ers have fared well in pass defense this season despite key injuries but could be in trouble Sunday with star DB Richard Sherman expected to be out another week after suffering a setback in his return from a calf injury. His continued absence leaves San Francisco vulnerable against a Rams offense that produced 300 yards through the air in last week’s win over Washington.
The bigger concern is on offense, where the 49ers managed just 37 total points against the Eagles and Dolphins – against whom they were favored by a whopping 8.5 points in both games. It got so bad last week that the 49ers benched starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (7-for-17, 77 yards, 2 INTs) in favor of CJ Beathard (9-for-18, 94 yards, 1 TD).
Betting Pick: Rams -2.5 (-110)
The 49ers are a hot mess right now, and until they can find some stability on offense, it’s hard to see them covering against a Rams team playing elite football so far.
- The Rams are 10-3 ATS in their last 13 road games.
- The 49ers are 1-7-1 ATS in their last 9 divisional home games.
- The UNDER is 5-2 in the Rams’ last 7 road games vs the 49ers.
