49ERS-RAMS SERIES CURRENTLY LOPSIDED
Kittle, Samuel have starred in a six-game win streak against LA
The Los Angeles Rams earned the right to host this Sunday’s NFC Championship Game, but given the recent track record, there’s little doubt San Francisco 49ers fans will invade SoFi Stadium and provide their team with an additional edge.
Yes, the 49ers’ recent domination of the Rams even extends into its fan base.
Since the start of the 2019 season, the 49ers have owned every aspect of their head-to-head series against the Rams, winning six consecutive games, including a Week 18 overtime victory that propelled Kyle Shanahan’s squad into the playoffs.
Three weeks after rookie Ambry Thomas hauled in Matt Stafford’s final pass of the regular season for a game-sealing interception, the 49ers are headed back to Los Angeles for the chance to advance to their second Super Bowl in the last three years.
How have the 49ers imposed their will against Rams head coach Sean McVay and one of the most talented rosters in the NFC? We looked at five players who have had the greatest impact on San Francisco’s success.
DEEBO SAMUEL >> Unsurprisingly, the engine that makes the 49ers’ offense go is also the engine most frequently seen bulldozing through the Rams’ defense.
Samuel got off to a slow start in his career against Los Angeles as he racked up a combined seven catches for 49 yards in two wins as a rookie, but he has been instrumental in the 49ers’ last four victories. In 2020, Samuel caught six passes for 66 yards and a touchdown in the 49ers’ 24-16 win before snagging 11 receptions for 133 yards in their 23-20 victory.
This season, Samuel has done some of his best
work against the Rams. He caught five passes for 97 yards and a touchdown while rushing five times for 36 yards and another score in San Francisco’s 31-10 blowout at Levi’s Stadium. In the 49ers’ 27-24 comeback win at SoFi Stadium in January, Samuel added four catches for 95 yards, eight rushes for 45 yards and a touchdown, and even threw a 24-yard touchdown pass in a performance that proved he’s one of the NFL’s most versatile playmakers. GEORGE KITTLE >> Why doesn’t the Rams’ defense devote more resources to stopping Samuel?
The answer likely has to do with the attention Los Angeles has to pay to Kittle, who has been a force throughout his career against the Rams.
The 49ers’ six-game win streak began when Kittle caught eight passes for 103 yards in a 20-7 win in October 2019 and continued when he added five receptions for 79 yards and a touchdown in San Francisco’s 34-31 victory later that year. While Kittle missed one of the two matchups in 2020 due to injury, he made his presence felt in the other with a sevencatch, 109-yard game that
also featured a 44-yard touchdown reception early in the second quarter.
The Rams held Kittle to just five catches for 10 yards in their last matchup, but earlier this season, Kittle recorded five receptions for 50 yards and a touchdown in another excellent showing.
When asked why San Francisco has maintained an advantage against Los Angeles earlier this year, Kittle pointed to the physicality of the 49ers’ offense.
“When our wide receivers decide to go hit safeties in the mouth on a run play, it kind of changes the game,” Kittle said.