The 49ers have, save for the game that mattered most, dominated their rivalry with the Rams in recent times. While San Francisco has won eight straight in the regular season against the Rams, Los Angeles wide receiver Cooper Kupp has consistently proved a thorn in their side.

Kupp has topped 100 yards receiving in three of the last four meetings between the Rams and Niners. On top of that, he exploded for 142 yards and two receiving touchdowns in the Rams' victory over San Francisco in the NFC Championship Game at the end of the 2021 season.

But the 2021 Offensive Player of the Year will not get the chance to produce another three-figure performance after he was placed on injured reserve by Los Angeles.

Kupp has been struggling with a hamstring injury and will now miss the first four games of the season, including the Week 2 game between the Rams and Niners at SoFi Stadium.

The long established connection between quarterback Matthew Stafford and Kupp would have posed the biggest threat to the 49ers extending their winning streak against the Rams.

San Francisco likely would have been favored regardless against a Rams team seemingly at the beginning of a rebuild, but Los Angeles' path to a shock victory now looks even more difficult.

Of course, given the respect Kyle Shanahan has for close friend and Rams head coach Sean McVay, he will not allow any complacency to creep in ahead of that matchup, which won't enter the 49ers' consciousness until after the conclusion of a tough road opener with the Steelers on Sunday.

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