The Thursday Night Football matchup this week delivers an NFC West clash as the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams go head-to-head in another battle of minds between Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay. Rivalry games are always intriguing, and the stakes are a bit higher in this one with the 3-1 teams battling for first place in the division.
Let’s dive into our NFL predictions for the Thursday Night Football duel between the 49ers and Rams.
Kyren Williams Rushes For 80-plus Yards And A TD
Even without a healthy offensive line, this Rams’ rushing attack has been exceptional as of late. Los Angeles is averaging 137 rushing yards per game with a 5.0-yards-per-carry average in the last three games, with Kyren Williams (303 yards, 4.5 ypc, and 19 first downs) and Blake Corum (5.2 ypc) both running really well this season. There’s also at least a chance of Steve Avila playing on Thursday Night Football.
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While Williams hasn’t been particularly efficient (3.72 ypc average) in his career against the 49ers’ defense, he did average 98.5 rushing yards per game with 3 total touchdowns in two meetings last season. Now, San Francisco is coming off a day where it allowed 124 yards and a 6.5 ypc average to Travis Etienne. Corum’s workload might keep Williams under 100 rushing yards, but he’ll hit 80-plus and score.
Matthew Stafford Isn’t Sacked Once By The 49ers Defense
In their first game without Nick Bosa, the 49ers’ defense generated just 4 pressures with zero sacks or quarterback hits on 32 dropbacks by the Jaguars’ offense (PFF). Getting the football out quickly (2.45 average time to throw) played a big part in that.
So, it’s worth noting ahead of this Thursday Night Football matchup that Matthew Stafford is tied with Trevor Lawrence for the second-fastest average time to throw (2.57 seconds) in the NFL this season.
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With San Francisco’s pass rush now relying heavily upon the likes of Bryce Huff, Yetur Gross-Matos, and rookie Mykel Williams, Los Angeles also has a big advantage in the trenches for this matchup. Plus, with an effective ground game, the Rams will succeed in preventing Stafford from taking a sack in Week 5.
Christian McCaffrey Held Under 100 Scrimmage Yards
The Rams were fortunate to avoid facing Christian McCaffrey last season. After all, the 49ers’ All-Pro offensive weapon averaged 5.8 yards per carry with 119 scrimmage yards versus this unit in 2023 (one game), and he averaged 153.5 scrimmage yards per game and 5.3 yards per carry in two games versus Los Angeles in 2023. We don’t expect CMC to be as successful in Week 5.
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One reason for that is that this 49ers’ rushing attack hasn’t been all that effective this year. Across four games in September, San Francisco ranked 28th in rushing offense (88.0 yards per game) with the second-lowest yards per carry average (3.3).
McCaffrey is also facing a Rams defense that has allowed the third-fewest receptions (12) and the second-fewest receiving yards (46) to running backs, including Saquon Barkley (9 yards on five targets). We expect Los Angeles to keep McCaffrey in check on Thursday night.
Demarcus Robinson Eclipses 80 Yards Vs Rams
With Ricky Pearsall (knee) and Jauan Jennings (ankle, rib) out in Week 5 on a short week, Demarcus Robinson gets an opportunity to be the No. 1 receiver in the 49ers’ offense. He missed the first 3 games due to suspension, and only registered one catch for 20 yards last week, but this is a revenge game, and he is quite literally the only offensive option outside of CMC.
Given that San Francisco will be without George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk, and Pearsall in this one, I expect Robinson to get a lot of targets.
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This is also an enticing matchup for Robinson. The Rams’ cornerbacks are the biggest weakness on this team, especially after Ahkello Witherspoon landed on injured reserve. Kyle Shanahan can find ways to have Robinson lined up versus Emmanuel Forbes, who has allowed 181 receiving yards, 16.5 yards per reception, and a perfect 158.3 QB rating when targeted this season (PFF).