The Rams head north in Week 10 for a rivalry rematch with the 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Kickoff on Sunday in Santa Clara, Calif. is scheduled for 1:25 p.m pacific time on FOX.
In advance of the contest, here are 3 Keys to Winning for the Rams, presented by The Law Offices of Jacob Emrani (CallJacob.com).
1) Limit the 49ers' quick passing game
Quarterback Mac Jones is starting for San Fracisco on Sunday, and in the two teams' previous meeting, he was able to mitigate the pressure brought by Los Angeles' defensive front by getting the ball out quickly. It's crucial not only for that front to convert those pressures into sacks, but for the secondary to play stickier in coverage to limit the effectiveness of those quick releases.
2) Clean game from the field goal operation
The Rams shook up that unit Friday, as head coach Sean McVay named Harrison Mevis their kicker for Week 10 over Joshua Karty, with Jake McQuaide as their long snapper over Alex Ward. Karty made the game-tying field goal to send the Week 5 game against the 49ers into overtime, but it was still a challenging game for the field goal operation overall with a missed 53-yard field goal attempt and a blocked extra point attempt. On the other side, 49ers kicker Eddy Pineiro made all four of his field goal attempts and both of his extra point attempts.
San Francisco won 26-23 in overtime, but a clean field goal operation proved to be a big difference-maker in the game. It will be crucial once again on Sunday, especially for a new-look L.A. operation.
3) Mitigate Christian McCaffrey's impact on the game
The 49ers running back was contained on the ground – 22 carries for 57 yards, an average of 2.6 yards per attempt – but effective as a receiver, with eight catches for 82 yards and one touchdown in the first meeting this season. A good portion of that yardage came on yards after the catch on check-downs and screens, so it's critical for the second and third levels of the Rams' defense to have a disciplined tackling performance on Sunday.
