The San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams meet Thursday in week 1 NFL action at Melbourne Cricket Ground. Here’s a Rams vs 49ers Prediction. This article will include a Rams vs 49ers pick.
San Francisco 49ers Betting Preview
The 49ers have become one of the most consistent teams in the NFL as they’ve made the playoffs in 5 of the last 7 years, and that includes 2 Super Bowl trips. Coach Kyle Shanahan is back for a 10th season, and Raheem Morris was a nice addition as defensive coordinator.
The 49ers should be efficient offensively with Brock Purdy at quarterback, Christian McCaffrey at running back, and the additions of Mike Evans and Christian Kirk at wide receiver. This could be a more explosive 49ers offense with the talent on the outside, but the health of tight end George Kittle remains a question mark.
Defensively, the health of Nick Bosa and Fred Warner will go a long way. Linebacker Dre Greenlaw returns after a season in Denver, and Romello Height is a talented third-round pick who could see the field early. Morris is an aggressive, no-nonsense coach, and he should have fun with the talent he has to work with on this side of the ball.
Los Angeles Rams Betting Preview
The Rams have won double-digit games in each of their last three seasons and enter year 10 under coach Sean McVay. The Rams have made the playoffs in seven of their last nine seasons.
Matthew Stafford is fresh off an MVP season, and he has elite weapons around him to produce another strong year. Puka Nacua and Davante Adams are one of the better receiving duos in the league, and Kyren Williams is a 1,000-yard rusher for three straight seasons. There’s a new offensive coordinator in Nate Scheelhaase, but the wheel doesn’t need to be reinvented with this unit. This is an experienced, talented offense that should put up numbers.
Defensively, the Rams added one of the best pass rushers in league history in Myles Garrett, which instantly makes this unit better. That addition helped bring Aaron Donald out of retirement. Throw in Byron Young, and the Rams have one of the scarier defensive fronts we’ve ever seen. Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson bolster the secondary that struggled in the playoffs.
The Rams are the betting favorite to win the Super Bowl, and while that sounds good, it’s rare the favorite entering the season hoists the trophy.
Why the Los Angeles Rams will win
- The Rams have won each of their last eight September games as favorites.
- The 49ers have lost each of their last four games without Christian McCaffrey.
- The Rams have covered the spread in each of their last six season openers as favorites.
- The 49ers have failed to cover the spread in each of their last five games without Deebo Samuel.
- The Rams have won the first quarter in each of their last four season openers against NFC opponents.
- The favorites have won the first half in each of the 49ers’ last 12 games.
- The Rams have scored the first touchdown in 10 of their last 13 games as favorites.
Why the San Francisco 49ers will win
- The underdogs have won four of the last five games between the 49ers and Rams.
- The Rams have lost five of their last six September games against NFC opponents.
- The 49ers have covered the spread in eight of their last nine games as underdogs against the Rams.
- The Rams have failed to cover the spread in five of their last six September games against NFC opponents.
- The 49ers have scored the first touchdown in five of their last six Week 1 games.
- The 49ers have won the first quarter in each of their last three September games as underdogs.
- The 49ers have won the first half in five of their last six season openers.
Total Points Facts
- Each of the last seven games between teams from the same division have gone OVER the total points line.
- Each of the Rams’ last six games at neutral venues have gone UNDER the total points line.
- Nine of the 49ers’ last 10 season openers against NFC opponents have gone UNDER the total points line.
Los Angeles Rams Player Prop Facts
- Kyren Williams has scored two or more touchdowns in four of his five previous appearances against the 49ers.
- Matthew Stafford has recorded 24+ completions in eight of his last 10 Week 1 appearances.
- Kyren Williams has recorded 57+ rushing yards in each of the Rams’ last seven games as favorites.
- Kyren Williams has recorded 72+ rushing and receiving yards in each of his last 10 regular season appearances against NFC West opponents.
- Matthew Stafford has recorded 286+ passing yards in 12 of his last 15 Week 1 appearances.
- Colby Parkinson has recorded 21+ receiving yards in each of the Rams’ last 10 games.
- Kyren Williams has scored at least one touchdown in each of the Rams’ last seven September games against NFC opponents.
- Matthew Stafford ranked 1st in the NFL in passing yards (4707) last season.
San Francisco 49ers Player Prop Facts
- Deebo Samuel has scored at least one touchdown in each of his last four appearances with the 49ers as underdogs against NFC West opponents.
- Brock Purdy has recorded 21+ rushing yards in each of the 49ers’ last four games.
- Brock Purdy has recorded 277+ passing yards in each of his last five September appearances.
- Deebo Samuel has recorded 41+ receiving yards in each of his last seven appearances with his team as an underdog against NFC West opponents.
- Brock Purdy has recorded 22+ completions in each of his last four September appearances against NFC opponents.
- Deebo Samuel has recorded 44+ rushing and receiving yards in each of his last 11 September appearances against NFC opponents.
- Brock Purdy recorded the equal-most passing touchdowns in a single game last season (5 vs Colts, Week 16).
Matchup/League Facts
- Rams – two different players recorded 80+ rushing yards in a game last season – tied for most in the NFL.
- Rams – two different players recorded 90+ rushing yards in a game last season – tied for most in the NFL.
- The 49ers ranked 32nd in the NFL in sacks (20.0) last season.
- The 49ers ranked 32nd in the NFL in total punt yards (1919) last season.
Rams vs 49ers Prediction
The Rams are going to be favored a lot, and there’s endless hype around this team. The 49ers spent the preseason banged up, and there are questions about just how prepared this team is due to the lack of consistent reps together. With all of that said, who knows how the long trip across the world is going to impact either team. It’s a lot of travel. We’re also seeing Nacua and Garrett on the injury report for the Rams, and at the time of this writing, Donald hasn’t been cleared for Week 1.
This is also a division game where both teams know each other, and it usually produces close games. The underdog has covered 5 of the last 6 meetings and 7 of the last 10 meetings overall. Seven of the last 10 games between the Rams and 49ers have been decided by seven or fewer points. We’re getting a hook on top of a key number. Give me the 49ers and the points.