Latest San Francisco 49ers news gives Los Angeles Rams zero excuses to not take lead in NFC West race
With Brock Purdy’s injury, the Los Angeles Rams have no excuses to lose to the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday Night Football
Over the last several seasons, the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers have battled for first place in the NFC West, with both teams winning it twice in the last four years. The 49ers are sitting in first place in the West for the moment as these two are set to square off in their first matchup of the season.
San Francisco has gotten the better of Los Angeles routinely under Kyle Shanahan, but the latest news out of the 49ers means that the Rams do not have any reason to lose this pivotal matchup and kickstart their bid for back-to-back NFC West titles.
The 49ers announced that quarterback Brock Purdy is OUT for Thursday’s game against the Rams, leaving Mac Jones as the starter for the 49ers. Additionally, starting wide receivers Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings are also out for this week’s game, leaving the 49ers’ offense completely bare bones at the skill positions.
The Stakes Are High for Los Angeles Rams
It’s important for the Rams to pull out the win on Thursday night over the 49ers. Obviously, losing to an injury-riddled 49ers team would be demoralizing and call into question just how good the Rams really are, but beyond that, a win brings the Rams an opportunity to continue their momentum and rip off a string of wins that could move them to the top of the NFC.
After San Francisco, the Rams get a floundering Baltimore Ravens team, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the New Orleans Saints before taking on the 49ers one more time in Week 10. With their win over the Colts last week, the Rams could build a five or even six-game win streak before taking on Seattle, Detroit, Atlanta, and Tampa Bay at the end of their season.
Building that momentum now is a huge trend shift for the Rams, who have typically been a team that lulls in the middle of the season before ending the year strong. If they want to back up their statement as the best Rams team in some time, winning this stretch of games would go a long way to proving that.
Additionally, the NFC West has had a tradition of putting teams in the Super Bowl recently. Since 2010, the NFC West has had a team win the division in back-to-back seasons only four times. Each of those 4 times, the winner went to the Super Bowl their second season winning it (Seattle went twice in 13-14).
There’s plenty at stake for the Rams this week, even if the matchup doesn’t look good on paper. They don’t have any excuses left not to win this crucial division matchup.
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