With another defensive star out, can the 49ers' offense rise to the challenge against Rams?
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — When the San Francisco 49ers lost another key defensive player for the season when rookie Mykel Williams went down with a knee injury, star tight end George Kittle said it was time for the offense to step up and score at least 30 points a game.
The 49ers (6-3) did that for the first time all season last week against the New York Giants and will have a far more difficult time pulling it off again on Sunday, when they host the Los Angeles Rams (6-2) and one of the NFL's stingiest defenses in a key NFC West showdown.
Running back Christian McCaffrey appreciated the sentiment from Kittle but added that the goals for the offense haven't changed even if the Niners' defense might be missing Fred Warner, Nick Bosa and Williams.
“Why not 40? Or score 50 a game,” McCaffrey said. “Football’s funny because sometimes when guys get hurt, people act like there’s a new level of urgency that has to come. There’s always a high level of urgency in this game, whether or not you got all your dogs or not. It’s a violent game and you have to come every Sunday with a certain mindset. That’s the way I approach it.”
The Rams come into the game on Sunday having allowed 20 points during a three-game winning streak that followed a 26-23 overtime loss to San Francisco in Week 5.
Warner played a big role that night in his final full game before going down with an ankle injury, making 12 tackles and helping stop a fourth-and-1 try in overtime to seal the win.
San Francisco's defense hasn't been as stout since Warner went down. The Rams know how important Warner's absence is but aren't expecting anything easy against a division rival.
“Any time you take Fred off the field, it’s going to be different for sure,” receiver Davante Adams said. “They’re still the defense that they are. It’s the way that they’re coached. It’s the way that Fred has led them to be over there. No matter who’s in there, we expect them to be able to play the same brand of football. Maybe not exactly like Fred would play, but guys are still going to be flying around.”
Matthew Stafford is playing some of the best football of his 17-year career over the Rams’ past five games, passing for 1,408 yards with 16 TDs and no interceptions. He threw for 389 yards and three TDs in the Rams’ loss to San Francisco early in that string, but he missed just enough throws down the stretch to feel partly responsible for the loss. Stafford has beaten the 49ers just twice in eight regular-season starts for the Rams — and a third time in the NFC championship game in January 2022, of course.
The 49ers have remained in contention despite a run of injuries in large part because of the play of backup quarterback Mac Jones. The former first-round pick by New England in 2021 has had a career rebirth in his first season in San Francisco, making seven starts this season with Brock Purdy out with a toe injury.
Jones is likely to start again on Sunday and hopes to improve to 6-2 this year. Perhaps his most impressive game so far came against the Rams, when he threw for 342 yards and two TDs on a banged-up knee while missing top pass catchers Kittle, Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings.
The Rams had to go to overtime with San Francisco last month in no small part because Joshua Karty missed a long field goal in the third quarter before the 49ers blocked his extra-point attempt with 10:39 to play. After an NFL-high eight missed or blocked kicks this season, the Rams finally started to do something about it this week, signing kicker Harrison Mevis and long snapper Jake McQuaide to their practice squad amid a heavy emphasis on special-teams preparation in meetings and practice.
Special teams has been a key part of San Francisco's success this season after a litany mistakes by that unit helped derail the 2024 season. Eddy Pineiro has made all 19 field goals since being signed before Week 2, and Brian Robinson has provided a spark to the kick return game, which has given the Niners the best average starting field position after kicks in the NFL.
“I think making kicks and not getting a punt blocked are usually the biggest things that stick out the most, or giving up a big return,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “You can play really good special teams and if any one of those three things happen on just one play, then it’s catastrophic special teams.”
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