San Francisco 49ers vs. St. Louis Rams: Rams' Week 6 Game Preview
The St. Louis Rams (1-3) will host the San Francisco 49ers (3-2) for an exciting NFC West showdown in front of a prime-time Monday Night Football audience. Kickoff is at 8:30 p.m. ET, and the game will air on ESPN.
This is St. Louis' first NFC West matchup of the 2014 season. It's easy to dismiss the Rams based on their poor record, but they have traditionally played tough against division rivals under the leadership of head coach Jeff Fisher.
In 2012, the Rams went 4-1-1 against the NFC West despite finishing just 3-7 against opponents outside the division. St. Louis has stood tall against rivals in the past, so it could happen once again.
The Rams will attempt to keep that competitive nature alive despite their sloppy start to the 2014 season. In fact, Odds Shark has the 49ers as mere four-point favorites over the Rams—a very slight favoritism considering San Francisco has been far more competitive than St. Louis this season.
Regardless of how one-sided the game might appear at first glance, some might be surprised to find out that this should be a very competitive game that could go either way.
This article will discuss the key factors, injuries and headlines associated with this game, while also providing a prediction.
Also, be sure to stop by Monday night for our live blog, which will provide live commentary and analysis throughout the game.
Week 5 Recap
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St. Louis had a Week 4 bye, so it was presumed the Rams would enter their Week 5 contest against the Philadelphia Eagles completely re-energized and ready to play, but it didn't work out that way.
The Rams got off to a very poor start from the very beginning. After the offense stalled on the opening drive, the Eagles managed to block St. Louis' punt and recover the ball for a touchdown. Philadelphia produced three more scoring drives in the opening half, and it entered halftime with a 20-7 lead.
The Eagles scored back-to-back touchdowns in the third quarter, making it a 34-7 game, but the Rams suddenly decided to show up.
Third-year quarterback Austin Davis threw for over 250 yards and two touchdowns in the second half alone. He led the Rams offense to three touchdown drives, making it a one-score 34-28 game.
Davis and St. Louis' offense got the ball back with two minutes left on the clock and had a shot at a historic comeback. The Rams started the drive deep in their own territory, but Davis marched the offense to midfield. Unfortunately, two dropped passes by wide receiver Austin Pettis stalled the drive, and the Rams fell short, but it was still an admirable effort nonetheless.
According to the Fox broadcast, had the Rams scored a touchdown on that drive to win the game, it would have been the biggest comeback in regulation in NFL history.
Moral victories mean little in the NFL, but the comeback against the Eagles was still a positive sign—it tells us that the Rams are resilient and that the team is starting to make more big plays against good football teams.
The Rams were an entirely different team during the second half against the Eagles. If that same team can show up for four quarters against San Francisco, the 49ers could be in trouble.
News and Notes
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Rams Send a Message By Cutting LB Ray-Ray Armstrong
Linebacker Ray-Ray Armstrong was signed as an undrafted rookie in 2013 and initially showed promising athleticism and potential, but the Rams have had enough. According to quotes given to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (h/t NBC Sports), St. Louis cut ties with Armstrong following the Philadelphia game.
Armstrong quickly grew a reputation as a penalty machine, and he ended his brief 20-game stint in St. Louis with nine penalties, most of which were on special teams. His latest penalty was a ridiculous and needless unnecessary roughness during a punt return against the Eagles—a careless act that helped Philadelphia to an easy field-goal drive.
Armstrong undeniably has talent, but his foolish decision-making on the field has repeatedly damaged the team's efforts. With just 14 career tackles, the risk-reward scale was totally one-sided, which made this a reasonable decision.
Enter LB Will Herring
Following the departure of Armstrong, the Rams responded by signing veteran outside linebacker Will Herring to a contract, according to a tweet by Herring (h/t per Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com).
The 31-year-old has seven seasons of experience in the league and has started 10 total games. His most recent stint was a three-year stay with the New Orleans Saints between 2011 and 2013, when he primarily played on special teams.
Herring will most likely take over Armstrong's responsibilities, which means he'll be utilized mostly on special teams. As long as he refrains from wiping out every single Rams punt return with yellow flags, he'll be considered an upgrade.
Greg Robinson Waiting For His Turn
As Wagoner of ESPN.com pointed out, rookie offensive lineman Greg Robinson—the No. 2 overall pick of this year's draft—is still waiting for his chance to play on offense.
According to the report, Robinson is improving, and Fisher has not forgotten about him.
“Greg just needs to keep doing what he’s doing," Fisher said. "He’s gotten much better over the last couple of weeks. He’s got a good feel for both of the positions. And just keep learning, working. He’s working hard on the practice field.”
It's great that Robinson is getting closer, but it's still a bit curious that he rots on the bench while veteran Davin Joseph retains his job. Joseph has struggled tremendously on the field, and it's hard to believe that Robinson would be a downgrade.
Having said that, continuity is important on the offensive line. Robinson could very well be a better player than Joseph as far as a one-on-one comparison, but the current five starters on St. Louis' line have now played four games together, and the group is beginning to gel. Familiarity is vital when it comes to a successful offensive line.
Injuries will happen, and Robinson will eventually get his chance. It'd be more ideal if the opportunity came sooner rather than later, but somehow it's doubtful that Fisher cares what anyone else thinks.
Injury Report
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The official injury report from NFL.com will not be available until closer to kickoff, but this is the latest unofficial injury report from the Rams website:
DE Alex Carrington (Knee)
LB Jo-Lonn Dunbar (Groin)
CB Trumaine Johnson (Knee)
OL Barrett Jones (Back)
DB Brandon McGee (Foot)
DE Eugene Sims (Groin)
RB Zac Stacy (Calf)
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X-Factors and Matchups
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Zac Stacy vs. San Francisco Run Defense
The San Francisco 49ers currently own the No. 2-ranked defense in the NFL (282.8 yards per game), and that's primarily due to a stout run defense that's allowing just 77.2 rushing yards per game (fifth in the NFL).
The 49ers have been able to establish a tough run defense despite already facing two top-10 rushing offenses this season (Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs). The unit's tough play against the ground game does not bode well for St. Louis' Zac Stacy, who has not been himself.
Stacy's mediocre 71-yard rushing performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has been his best showing this year. Stacy rushed for nearly 1,000 yards in just 12 starts as a fifth-round rookie last year, but he has displayed just a fraction of the tenacity and dominance we saw from him in 2013.
The 49ers will make it difficult for Stacy to bring his best performance. If he does somehow manage to have a breakout game, it will do wonders for the St. Louis offense and put the Rams in a position to win.
If the run game is working, the rest of the offense will produce as well.
Austin Davis in First NFC West Matchup
Austin Davis had impressive starts against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles, but how will the young quarterback do in his first start against an NFC West rival?
Davis has managed back-to-back games with three touchdowns and over 300 yards—a feat never accomplished by Sam Bradford during his four seasons—but the Dallas defense is the only defensive unit that posed a considerable challenge. The NFC West defenses are a different animal entirely.
Davis has a lot of work to do if he wants to earn consideration for St. Louis' long-term plan at quarterback, but lighting up an NFC West team would be a promising start. If Davis can become a valuable weapon against division foes, he'll earn the respect of the coaches and the entire St. Louis fanbase.
Will the Defensive Line Finally Arrive?
The St. Louis defensive line—a unit that infamously named itself "Sack City" during the offseason—is officially the worst team in the NFL when it comes to sacking the quarterback.
The group has just one sack and ranks dead last in the NFL in sacks. That's not a typo either—the same team that features 2013 Defensive of the Year candidate Robert Quinn, who ended last season with 19 sacks, has just one measly sack in 2014.
Rushing the passer was supposed to be St. Louis' top strength this season. Even if all other units failed miserably, the one foolproof aspect of the team was the pass rush. It's nearly an inexplicable phenomenon that the Rams have just one sack at this point.
The unit will show up eventually. There's too much talent for the group to remain dormant forever; it's just a matter of when. If it happens to be against San Francisco, it will put the 49ers at a great disadvantage.
Prediction
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There's no need to sugarcoat the outlook for this game—the Rams have done absolutely nothing this season to indicate that they are capable of beating the 49ers.
Could it happen? Of course. As mentioned in the intro, the Rams tend to play tough against their NFC West rivals. The Rams could enter Monday's game as an entirely transformed team compared to what we've seen over the first four games, but unfortunately, that's a pretty sizable leap of faith.
Until the pass rush wakes up from its monthlong slumber and until all three units can play with even the slightest touch of consistency, there's no logical way to justify a prediction in St. Louis' favor.
There are other positives that can come from this game. Davis could very well have another monster performance, receiver Brian Quick could continue his breakout year and we might even see Quinn realize that the season started five weeks ago.
The moral victories are imminent and even likely. An actual victory? Not so much.
If the pass rush wakes up and harasses Colin Kaepernick all game long and if Stacy defies San Francisco's tough run defense while Davis goes on to have another big game, the Rams could walk away with their second victory of the year.
It's not likely, but anything is possible under the prime-time lights.
Prediction: San Francisco 49ers 31, St. Louis Rams 20
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