A key to Niners beating Rams is putting the heat on QB Goff
SANTA CLARA >> Statistically speaking, the best way for the 49ers to get back on the winning track Saturday night against the Rams is to make Jared Goff’s homecoming as painful as possible
One of the knocks against the Rams’ $100 million quarterback is he can
sometimes be easily rattled by a potent pass rush.
Since the Rams (8-6) started the season 3-0, the numbers show the former Cal star really seems at his worst when he gets knocked around. There have been six games in which Goff’s been hit at least five times by opposing defenders. The
Rams were beaten in every one of them, including Sunday’s disastrous 44-21 loss to the Cowboys when he absorbed six hits while getting sacked twice.
The Rams have gone 5-4 in their last nine games, with Goff getting sacked just once in their five victories. In the four losses, he was hit 28 times and sacked 12 times, including the 49ers’ four sacks of Goff in their 20-7 win in Week 6.
Now, repeatedly getting Goff to the turf to ensure a victory works great in theory, but navigating through the Rams’ offensive line isn’t always an easy task. Their line is still ranked No. 1 in the league in pass protection -- allowing just 19 sacks.
Sounds like a challenge Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner may just relish.
Here’s a closer look at some things to keep an eye on when the NFC West rivals meet for the second time this season:
Three reasons for 49ers’ optimism:
ROOM TO RUN THE BALL >> The 49ers may not be able to match the Cowboys’ talented offensive line, but San Francisco has to believe it can cause damage to the Rams on the ground after watching film of Dallas running for a whopping 263 yards. The 49ers ran for a modest 99 yards in their win in L.A. in October, but have averaged 140 yards on the ground over their past four games and are second in the NFL with 147.0 yards per game this season. In other words, Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman could, and should, be able to find some gaps to run through.
RAMS’ PENCHANT FOR SLOPPINESS >> A pile of mistakes — turnovers, penalties — have contributed to the Rams being in a desperate plight heading into the final two games of the season. L.A. is ranked 22nd in the league in turnover differential with a cumulative minus 6, which helps explain why the Rams have gone just 3-3 in their last six games. The Rams have only had more takeaways than their opponents once in the last eight weeks. Then there’s their penalty problem. L.A.’s offense has committed the third-most penalties in the league with 54. The mistakes help explain why Sean McVay’s highpriced squad is just 18th in the league in scoring at 21.7 points per game. INJURIES ON THE OTHER SIDE, FOR A CHANGE >> The Rams were hit with a couple of potential costly injuries Sunday when starting cornerback Troy Hill broke his thumb and kicker Greg Zuerlein strained his right quad. Although Hill insists he’ll try to play, the Rams are looking for both of their replacements, just in case. The 49ers, who’ve recently lost defensive starters D.J. Jones, Dee Ford, Jaquiski Tartt and Richard Sherman as well as Richburg, may feel the Rams pain but they certainly won’t feel sorry for them. Hill’s injury would be especially troubling. He’s stepped in and played well across from star cornerback Jalen Ramsey after the Rams decided to ship out their old tandem of Aqib Talib and Oakland native Marcus Peters. Hill’s potential replacement — either rookie David Long Jr., who was inactive on Sunday, or Darious Williams — figures to be targeted by 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan.
Three reasons for 49ers’ pessimism:
THE AARON DONALD PROBLEM >> Despite not being quite as consistently dominant this season, Aaron Donald remains one of the league’s most feared defensive linemen. His 11 sacks are most among interior defenders in the NFL. He enjoyed his best
game of the season in the loss to the 49ers -- he had season-high totals of two sacks, seven tackles and three tackles for losses while hitting Garoppolo three times. That was against 49ers starting center Weston Richburg, who is now out for the season. New center Ben Garland will need help from guards guards Mike Person and Laken Tomlinson, who both struggled mightily in pass protection against the Falcons. Person allowed a team-high five QB pressures and Garland allowed two QB pressures. Oh, and the 49ers’ line will also have to deal with Clay Matthews, who sat out the teams’ first meeting with a broken jaw.
RAMS’ TYLER HIGBEE, TIGHT END ON A ROLL >> On Saturday night the country will see the hottest NFL tight end, and they won’t be looking at George Kittle. Over the past three weeks, Rams tight end Tyler Higbee leads all receivers in the league in catches (26) and receiving yards (334 yards) — that’s five more catches and 184 more yards than Kittle has the last three games. Higbee, who had a career-high 12 receptions for 111 yards in the loss to Dallas, is the first tight end in Rams history with three straight 100-yard receiving games. He has 52 catches for 546 yards and a pair of TDs on the season while serving as Goff’s primary check-down target.
GOFF CAPABLE OF GOING OFF >> The former Marin Catholic star had a long day in the Rams’ loss against the 49ers — he completed 13 of 24 passes for just 78 yards while leading L.A. to only 157 yards of offense. And that includes an opening drive that netted 65 yards. Goff’s touchdown-to-interception ratio is just 17-15. However, he’s also proven to be a dangerous quarterback as he’s passed for 3,996 yards. With weapons in the passing game such as Todd Gurley III, Cooper Kupp and Higbee, Goff is capable of shredding a defense, if given time. He owns the NFL’s single-game high of 517 yards against the Buccaneers and, before Sunday’s debacle, he had enjoyed back-to-back games with 717 passing yards and a cumulative passer rating of 123.9.
PROBABLE DIFFERENCEMAKER: TODD GURLEY >> Although the explosive Gurley has shockingly yet to gain 100 yards in a game this season, there’s a definite correlation between his carries and how well the Rams fare. Basically, when he runs the ball more than 12 times, the Rams win. The only time Gurley carried more than 12 times in one of the five games the Rams lost while he played came in Week 5 — he gained 51 yards on 15 carries — when Greg Zuerlein missed a field goal with 11 seconds left in a 3029 loss to the Seahawks. Gurley was a non-factor Sunday against the Cowboys, running for just 20 yards. After missing the first Rams-49ers game because of a thigh injury, Gurley is ready for the rematch. “I’m excited,” he told reporters. “Didn’t get a chance to play against those guys last time. Saturday night game. We got to try and get it right.”