Rams’ run game is no passing fancy
SANTA CLARA >> As mistake-prone as the 49ers pass defense is, the Los Angeles Rams don’t have to prey on it Sunday, not when they boast the league’s leading running back in Todd Gurley.
“It wasn’t a coincidence he was the NFL MVP last year, and so far he’s on his way to winning that again,” coach Kyle Shanahan said of Gurley, who actually won the AP Offensive Player of the Year award while Tom Brady captured MVP honors.
Gurley ran for a career-high 208 yards in Sunday’s 23-20 win over the Denver Broncos, and he’s the NFL’s leading rusher (623 yards).
What kind of encore can Gurley pull off against the 49ers (1-5)? The 49ers have allowed only one
100-yard rusher this season (the Chargers’ Melvin Gordon, 104 yards) while all other opponents’ leading rushers topped out between 41 and 55 yards.
“This is a game I’m personally excited for, because I’m here to stop the run and I want to limit his ability to take over the game,” said nose tackle Earl Mitchell, adding that the 49ers’ scheme matches well against the Rams.
The 49ers defense ranks 13th against the run (98.2 yards per game), whereas their troubled pass defense checks in 25th (279.0 yards per game).
Linebacker Reuben Foster has never faced Gurley but he’s long watched him tear up defenses, from high school to the SEC at Georgia and now the NFL.
“He’s always been a great back to me. I’ve always seen Gurley and how hard he runs,” Foster said. “He’s got confidence. He’s a big, fast, quick back that moves north and south. He likes to bounce the ball a lot but doesn’t mind getting north and south.”
Foster and Fred Warner are key to stopping Gurley’s inside runs, and then the oustide containment must stay true, whether it’s a defensive back or defensive end on the job. Gurley already has nine rushing touchdowns, and he is averaging 4.8 yards per carry — 2 yards
less than the 49ers’ Matt Breida (430 yards, 2 TDs).
• Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo returned to the team facility this week as “same old Jimmy,” left tackle Joe Staley described. Garoppolo had reconstructive surgery on his left knee Oct. 3 after a season-ending tear of his anterior cruciate ligament Sept. 23 at Kansas City.
“He’s been in all the team meetings and stuff. It’s been good to have him around,” Shanahan said. “He’s still on his crutches so he’s not going out to practice.
“But it was good to see his face. Definitely he’s grown his beard out. You can tell he’s been sitting in a hospital or in a bed most of this time. It’s good to have him back in the building.
… I think he’s happy to be back with the team.”
Garoppolo is expected to speak to the media next week for the first time since his injury.
• Shanahan said he has no reservations plugging cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon back into the starting lineup despite not playing him one defensive snap in Monday night’s loss. Witherspoon has practiced well the past two weeks, although he still needs to gain full clearance today from the concussion protocol, Shanahan said.
Ward is listed as doubtful and figures to sit out for the second time in three weeks because of a hamstring strain. Ward started last game and eventually got replaced in the fourth quarter
Garçon (shoulder, knee) and Trent Taylor (back), and cornerbacks Richard Sherman (calf), K’Waun Williams (shoulder) and Witherspoon are questionable but on track to play. Taylor sat out last game to rest a back issue dating back to offseason surgery.
Wide receiver Dante Pettis remains out because of a knee injury he sustained Sept. 30. He’s been working on a side field with trainers as he gets closer to a return.
The Rams ruled out only Cooper Kupp, who’s primarily a slot receiver and has totaled five touchdown receptions, tied for sixthmost in the league. That’s good news for an embattled 49ers secondary, if not for the fact the Rams are still loaded elsewhere.