How to watch and stream San Francisco 49ers-Los Angeles Rams in Week 2

The San Francisco 49ers make their annual trip to the place they call 'Levi's South' on Sunday when they face the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2. San Francisco has won eight straight regular-season games against their NFC West rivals and the apparent talent disparity between the two sides has most expecting the 49ers to […]

Nicholas McGee

Sep 17, 2023 8:57 AM EDT

Oct 30, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) catches a touchdown pass against Los Angeles Rams safety Taylor Rapp (24) during the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The San Francisco 49ers make their annual trip to the place they call 'Levi's South' on Sunday when they face the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2.

San Francisco has won eight straight regular-season games against their NFC West rivals and the apparent talent disparity between the two sides has most expecting the 49ers to continue their dominance.

Both teams enjoyed dominant Week 1 victories, with the Rams' surprising defeat of the Seahawks on the road in Seattle helping ensure the Niners will definitely not be taking them lightly as they look to stretch their winning streak in this matchup to nine games.

San Francisco 49ers (1-0) at Los Angeles Rams (1-0)
Date: Sunday, September 17
Time: 1:05 p.m. ET
Location: SoFi Stadium/Inglewood, CA
Betting odds: 49ers -7, Over/Under 45.5
How to watch on TV: Fox
Streaming: FuboTV, YouTube TV, Network apps, etc.
Radio: KNBR 680 AM / 104.5 FM, 107.7 FM “The Bone" / SacTown Sports 1140AM

Can Deebo do it again?

Deebo Samuel has made a habit of dicing up the Rams. Here are his stat lines for his receiving production for his last five regular-season games against Los Angeles.

Week 6, 2020: Six catches, 66 yards, 1 TD
Week 12, 2020: 11 catches, 133 yards
Week 10, 2021: Five catches, 97 yards, 1 TD
Week 18, 2021: Four catches, 95 yards
Week 4, 2022: Six catches, 115 yards, 1 TD

On top of that, Samuel had a rushing touchdown in the game in Week 10 of 2021 and in the Week 18 thriller in the same season, which also saw him throw a pass for a score. He had another rushing touchdown against the Rams back in Week 16 of 2019.

Simply put, the Rams have rarely found a way to stop Samuel.

Brandon Aiyuk was the receiving star of Week 1 for the 49ers, but any member of their stacked group of skill players can be the headliner on a given week. In games with Los Angeles, it's typically been Samuel. If it all goes to form, we could be in for another Deebo masterclass at SoFi Stadium.

Who plays the slot?

It's a question 49ers fans will continue to ask until San Francisco provide a definitive answer.

Isaiah Oliver ended up getting most of the slot snaps against the Steelers despite Deommodore Lenoir occupying the nickel role in the first half.

Lenoir moving inside from his starting outside corner role on nickel downs was expected to be the primary plan at the position, but for now the 49ers appear content to play the matchup game.

That could be a dangerous approach against Los Angeles' speedy starting slot receiver Tutu Atwell, who racked up 119 receiving yards in Week 1 and would appear to be an athlete primed to take advantage of Oliver's lack of pace by comparison.

Lenoir seems the most likely candidate to match up with Atwell, and what the 49ers eventually decide to do could have a huge bearing on how close of a contest this is.

3 Players to Watch

OT Colton McKivitz: Right tackle McKivitz endured a hugely difficult start to his career as the 49ers' first-stringer at that position, giving up three sacks to T.J. Watt. He'll likely see a lot of Aaron Donald and exciting rookie Byron Young in Week 2, and the Niners need a bounce-back from McKivitz to help make sure their offense isn't derailed by pressure.
DE Nick Bosa: Bosa is set to return to his usual full workload after being on a pitch count in Week 1. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year will flip between left and right defensive end, and there's no doubt the 49ers will look to get him against inexperienced left tackle Alaric Jackson early and often this week. Look for a performance reflective of the monster contract extension he received last week.
LB Fred Warner: Matthew Stafford shredded the Seahawks attacking the middle of the field. It's tough to see him being allowed to do that against the 49ers with Warner patrolling that area. Warner was already in midseason form last week, and the duel between the 49ers' defensive leader and the Rams quarterback figures to be an utterly compelling battle to take in.