It’s only Week 8, but the Rams and 49ers will play their second matchup of the season on Sunday. If this season goes anything like last year, there could be a third meeting later on in January.
Leading into Sunday’s game at SoFi Stadium, which is a pivotal one for both teams this early in the season, we’ve compiled seven stats and facts to know. Everyone knows the 49ers have owned the Rams in recent years, but San Francisco has some flaws, too.
1
Rams are 0-7 vs. 49ers in regular season since 2019, 10-3 vs. rest of NFC West
It’s painful to bring up, but it’s also hard to believe. Since 2019, the Rams are 0-7 against the 49ers in the regular season. Against the rest of the division, they’re 10-3, making easy work of the Seahawks and Cardinals.
There’s no question the 49ers have had the Rams’ number in the last three-plus years, and Los Angeles hopes to change that by beating San Francisco in the regular season for the first time since 2018.
2
Rams defense ranks 1st in opponent first downs per game
After giving up just eight first downs against the Panthers two weeks ago, the Rams are now allowing a league-low 15.7 first downs per game. The 49ers haven’t been very good at picking up first downs on offense this season, ranking 21st in that category through seven games.
The Rams gave up just 13 first downs to the 49ers in their Week 4 loss, so that wasn’t the issue last time.
Defense ranks1st in opponent first downs per game (15.7), t-1st in opponent red zone touchdowns (4), and 3rd in defensive total rush EPA (24.3)
Offense ranks 2nd in completion percentage (70.9%) and reception percentage per target (72.5%) pic.twitter.com/jalRKalgwe
— Los Angeles Rams PR (@TheLARamsPR) October 25, 2022
3
Rams have 2nd-best red zone defense in NFL
When opponents reach the red zone against the Rams, which isn’t often, they have a lot of trouble scoring touchdowns. Of the 12 red zone trips they’ve allowed, the Rams have given up touchdowns just four times. That rate of 33.3% ranks second in the NFL. The 49ers offense ranks 15th in red zone TD percentage.
4
Jimmy Garoppolo has 3 more pass TDs than Matthew Stafford on 40 fewer attempts
Garoppolo has only thrown 185 passes in his six games played, 40 fewer than Stafford has in his six games. Garoppolo still has nine touchdown passes, which is three more than Stafford has in the Rams’ pass-happy offense.
Obviously, that doesn’t tell the full story of how these two quarterbacks have played, but Garoppolo is finding the end zone at a decent rate.
5
49ers have allowed 3rd-fewest yards per game of any team
Before giving up 529 yards to the Chiefs, the 49ers hadn’t allowed more than 308 yards in a game all season. And even after getting gashed by the Chiefs, the 49ers still rank third in the NFL in yards allowed per game (294.9).
It’s undoubtedly one of the best defenses in football, and one the Rams will have a hard time moving the ball against if they can’t keep Stafford upright.
6
Matthew Stafford has 14 TD passes, 7 INTs in career vs. 49ers
Speaking of Stafford, he actually hasn’t played all that poorly against the 49ers in his career. He’s only 2-6 in eight games against the 49ers dating back to his time in Detroit, but he has 14 touchdown passes and seven interceptions with a passer rating over 90.
Specifically with the Rams, Stafford has six touchdown passes and six interceptions in four games, so he has to play better than he has against San Francisco while with the Rams.
7
49ers are much more balanced on early downs
The Rams have a league-low 114 rush attempts on first and second down this season. That’s much less than the 186 passes they’ve thrown on early downs, and it’s far less balanced than the 49ers have been on first and second.
The 49ers have thrown 178 passes and run the ball 175 times on first and second down, with those 175 rush attempts ranking sixth among all teams. So while it seems like the Rams always run the ball on first down with very little success, they’re actually unbalanced toward the pass.
