The San Francisco 49ers are the last undefeated team in the NFC. Who would have guessed that would be the case?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They\u2019ve certainly looked like an NFC contender so far but this week\u2019s test figures to be their toughest. On a short week after stomping the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football, the 49ers go on the road to face the defending NFC champions. The Los Angeles Rams have lost two in a row and will bring a focused effort in hopes of ending their losing streak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 49ers might cover the spread because they have been winning quite comfortably even when their offense isn\u2019t fully clicking. It started in Week 1 when a late pick-six carried the Niners past Tampa Bay. In Week 3 against Pittsburgh, the Niners committed five turnovers, and yet they held the Steelers to just 20 points. San Francisco\u2019s defense stood very tall, and that caliber of performance carried into the Monday Night Football blowout of the Cleveland Browns. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The defensive front is what has turned this team around as Nick Bosa looks like an elite player already in his rookie season. He had two sacks, four tackles for loss, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery on Monday Night Football. However, it\u2019s not just him. DeForest Buckner has three sacks, Arik Armstead has two and offseason acquisition Dee Ford has a pair as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keep this in mind about the Rams: In their first 11 games of 2018, they averaged over 35 points. The last of those 11 games was the 54-51 Monday night win over the Kansas City Chiefs in November. In the last five games of the 2018 regular season, plus three playoff games and then the first five games of this season, the Rams have averaged under 26.5 points per game. They have averaged roughly nine fewer points per game since the start of their December 2018 schedule. Something is not quite right with them and the 49ers have an opening here \u2013 especially the way their defense has been playing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even though the Niners are 4-0, one thing to note is that their schedule has been fairly light. The 49ers have already played the Bengals \u2013 one of the two worst teams in the NFL \u2013 plus the Steelers, who have only one win, and the 2-3 Cleveland Browns. The 49ers\u2019 one win against an NFC team was against the Bucs, who have a losing record as well. This is going to be their toughest test of the season \u2013 especially since this game is on the road. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the Rams, they\u2019ll have had 10 days to prepare for this game and that should be enough time to sort out whatever is wrong with the team. Whether it is, in fact, Jared Goff or the fact that he\u2019s been pressured more than any other quarterback in the NFL, I expect the Rams to come up with some solutions here. If they can\u2019t correct their flaws and dominate the line of scrimmage, though, they\u2019re not likely to win this game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Rams\u2019 defense has struggled this year. It had a hard time containing Russell Wilson of the Seahawks and it got torched by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home a few days earlier. The Rams might be mad and very intent on improving, but they probably aren\u2019t going to completely shut down San Francisco\u2019s offense. On the other side, the 49ers\u2019 defense has played some bad offenses \u2013 Cincinnati, Cleveland \u2013 and some mediocre quarterbacks such as Pittsburgh backup Mason Rudolph. Even with Jared Goff struggling, this offense for the Rams is a lot better than what the Niners have seen to this point. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The defenses are probably going to have a hard time, which suggests an over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Get the latest NFL football odds and information–follow BetOnline.ag on Twitter<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n