The Los Angeles Rams are gearing up for the season finale, a road matchup with the San Francisco 49ers. Neither team has much to play for and therefore will rest at least some of their starters, including Matthew Stafford, but it’s a rivalry game that Los Angeles would like to win.
Looking ahead to Sunday’s battle at Levi’s Stadium, here are five stats to know for Rams-49ers this week.
1
Rams haven't beaten 49ers at Levi's Stadium in 5 years
It’s been a long, long time since the Rams won on the road against the 49ers. It’s been a while since they beat San Francisco in the regular season at all, but the Rams have had very little success at Levi’s Stadium in recent years.
Their last road win against the 49ers came in October of 2018, their first meeting that season. The Rams won that game 39-10, the first of two victory against San Francisco in 2018.
2
Puka Nacua is 4 catches and 29 yards from breaking rookie records
Nacua has a chance to cap off a fantastic rookie season with a pair of records. He has 101 catches and only needs four more receptions to break Jaylen Waddle’s record for the most ever by a rookie. His 1,445 yards are the third-most in NFL history for a rookie, and if he adds 29 yards on Sunday, he’ll pass Bill Groman for the most ever.
The Rams are resting Matthew Stafford, but you can bet Puka will get his shot at those two records. In his first meeting with the 49ers, Nacua had 15 catches for 147 yards.
3
Kobie Turner needs 0.5 sacks to break Aaron Donald's rookie DT record
Just as Nacua has a chance to make history, so too does Turner. He has nine sacks entering the final week of the season. The rookie record for a defensive tackle is held by Donald, who also had nine sacks in 2014.
If Turner gets just a half-sack, he’ll break Donald’s record and also become the Rams’ single-season leader in sacks for a rookie. It would be the icing on the cake for Turner’s incredible first year in the NFL.
4
49ers boast best red zone offense in NFL
It has not been easy for teams to stop the 49ers in the red zone this season. When they’ve gotten inside the 20-yard line, they’ve scored touchdowns an NFL-best 65.6% of the time. Fortunately for the Rams, they have a stout red zone defense. They rank eighth in the NFL in red zone defense, allowing touchdowns only 51.1% of the time.
That’s actually better than the 49ers’ defense, which allows red zone touchdowns 51.2% of the time.
5
49ers have 2nd-most passing yards and fewest passing attempts
This is a pretty mind-blowing stat. With Brock Purdy as their starting quarterback, the 49ers have been incredibly efficient when it comes to throwing the ball. They've thrown the fewest passes in the NFL (465), yet they still have the most touchdown passes (32) and the second-most passing yards (4,209).
Purdy is averaging a league-high 9.6 yards per attempt, which is 1.2 yards higher than any other starting quarterback. He's undoubtedly having a great season, but his pass-catchers are among the best after the catch, which helps pad his stats.
