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Five 49ers to Watch Against the Rams

49ers control their own destiny by winning the final two games of the season and it all starts with the Rams on Saturday. If these five 49ers play well, then the team will have secured a victory.

Maverick Pallack

Five 49ers to Watch Against the Rams
Five 49ers to Watch Against the Rams /

After an upset loss at the hands of the Atlanta Falcons, the 49ers will look to stay alive in the NFC West race with a win over the Los Angeles Rams. Although the 49ers’ week 15 loss was shocking, the Rams’ loss was devastating, putting them on the brink of elimination this week.

A win on Saturday would not only position the 49ers for a winner-take-all division-crowning game against the Seahawks in Seattle week 17, it would eliminate the division-rival Rams from postseason contention. For that to happen, some players need to play a pivotal role in the matchup on Saturday.

Here are the 49ers to watch against the Rams.

Tevin Coleman and Matt Breida

San Francisco desperately needs to establish its run game this week. With just George Kittle providing production in the passing game, a solid rushing attack would have been able to push the 49ers over the top against Atlanta.

Favorably, the 49ers face a Rams’ defense that just surrendered 263 yards to the Cowboys. That number wasn’t reliant on star running back Ezekiel Elliott either. Backup running back Tony Pollard had 131 yards on his own. This bodes well for the two San Francisco running backs (Tevin Coleman and Matt Breida) that have struggled for well over a month. Injuries have played a part, but both have taken a back seat to Raheem Mostert, who had more snaps (34) last week than both combined (31).

Yes, Mostert did fail to crack 100 all-purpose yards for the first time since becoming the lead back, but he was able to score two touchdowns (he has nine over his last four games). The other backs were less effective. Coleman did break off a 37-yard run, but it was his lone achievement in an otherwise forgettable game. Breida struggled much more, fumbling twice on his six touches.

Mostert’s success, especially at finding the end zone, cannot be ignored. He has earned the leading role. But it wouldn’t hurt to get Coleman and Breida back on track. With the Rams struggling against the run this season (23rd in the NFL in yards allowed), Mostert should excel, but Breida and Coleman should get a decent amount of carries as well.

Regardless of the score, the 49ers should stick with the run and make this poor defense pay. It feels like Mostert can break a big run every time he touches the ball, and it’s only a matter of time before Coleman and Breida break out of their slumps. If Coleman and Breida can make the most of their ample opportunities on Saturday, the 49ers’ offense would be hot at the perfect time.

Ben Garland

Reserve center Ben Garland played rather well in his first start since Weston Richburg went down. He did not allow a sack on 64 snaps against the Falcons and was quality in the run-game. Yet, the 49ers’ were ultimately not able to muster up enough offense to beat the Falcons. Their inability to put the game away with successful drives allowed Atlanta to comeback and win.

Garland, and guards Mike Person and Laken Tomlinson, will have their work cut out for them this week as reigning defensive player of the year Aaron Donald awaits them. The defensive lineman leads the NFL with 19 tackles-for-loss and is seventh with 11 sacks. One of his best performances this season actually came against the 49ers week six. Donald powered through the healthy interior 49ers’ offensive line for two sacks, three tackles-for-loss and three QB hits.

There is no real way to neutralize him. He has a sack or TFL in 12 of his 14 games, and those two outliers were with very mobile quarterbacks Lamar Jackson and Cam Newton. It’s safe to say quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is not as evasive. The best way to subdue Donald long enough for Garoppolo to find the open man is to put many bodies in his way. This means pre-snap communication will be huge. Garland, Person and Tomlinson will have to communicate much better if they want to keep Garoppolo upright.

K’Waun Williams

The 49ers desperately missed cornerbacks Richard Sherman and K’Waun Williams last week. Atlanta receiver Julio Jones (13 catches, 134 yards and two touchdowns) carved up the decimated secondary as a result. This comes one week after New Orleans receiver Michael Thomas (11 catches, 134 yards and a touchdown) took advantage of a much healthier defense.

Both Thomas and Jones are accompanied by just a few others in the upper echelon of elite pass-catchers. Fortunately for the 49ers, they will not face another member of that group (at least for the remainder of the regular season).

In fact, the Rams’ top receiver, Cooper Kupp, might be their toughest remaining regular season challenge. According to PlayerProfiler.com, Kupp spends 66.8% of his snaps in the slot. Jones (17.2%) and Thomas (19.9%) on the other hand, do most of their work on the outside.

What this means is that Sherman, the 49ers’ top corner, will probably not cover Kupp a lot in man coverage. Instead, that duty will fall to Williams (75.9 PFF), the team’s nickel. Over his last three games, Kupp has caught every target (16-for-16) and also found the end zone. Despite that catch-success of late, he has not exceeded 70 receiving yards since his 220-yard explosion in week eight against the Bengals.

In their first battle, Williams won, holding Kupp to four catches for 17 yards. Another successful performance by Williams should return swagger to the defense.

Dre Greenlaw

Although the Cowboys displayed one of their best offensive performances of the year against the Rams last week, their defense was almost equally impressive. Two garbage time touchdowns watered down the dominant defensive performance by Dallas. The Rams managed just 289 yards, with a lot of that coming in the final five minutes when the game was already out of reach.

Dallas linebacker Sean Lee played a major part in shutting down the formerly world-class offense. Lee, a 10-year NFL veteran, intercepted and sacked quarterback Jared Goff.

Just like the Cowboys, the 49ers run a 4-3 defense, and in passing situations, rookie Dre Greenlaw could play a similar role to Lee. The 49ers do not blitz a whole lot, and when they do, it seems like it’s always fellow linebacker Fred Warner. Yet, Greenlaw still plays a major role in defending this Rams’ offense.

Just like Lee, Greenlaw will probably be seen as a “weakness” in pass coverage. Fortunately for Greenlaw, Goff is not Drew Brees or Matt Ryan. He also makes a lot more mistakes as seen in the Lee interception above.

If Greenlaw can take care of his “zone,” which will likely contain Kupp or tight end Tyler Higbee (who has seen 25 targets over the past two weeks), he should get a great shot at his second career interception.

49ers Punt Return Team

The Rams, on the brink of elimination, won’t hold anything back on Saturday. If they lose, their disappointing season will end. A win would still give them pretty slim odds at sneaking into the playoffs, but they will at least have a chance.

Over the years, Rams’ special teams coordinator John Fassel has not been afraid to roll the dice, often putting the ball in All-Pro punter Johnny Hekker’s hands (even in last season’s NFC Championship Game).

This year alone, Hekker has attempted three passes (one of which was intercepted). Over his eight-year career, he is 13-for-22 on pass attempts for 184 yards and a touchdown.

Most think of fake punts as a simple throw to a gunner, like the 49ers (sort of) defended against the Saints. Hekker’s fakes come in all forms. Earlier this season, Hekker hit his back for a first down.

It might not even be in a logical situation. The fake could come from deep in their own territory like this failed attempt in 2017.

One thing that is for sure, however, is that the entire 49ers’ special teams unit must be on red alert every time the Rams send out their punt-team. Even if San Francisco surrenders the completion, they must be aware that they can still take advantage of an inexperienced ball carrier.

Fake punts are one of the most significant plays in football. A conversion, if an attempt is even made, would likely turn the tides in favor of the underdog Rams. If the 49ers can stay focused and shut down the fake, they will expose the best card Los Angeles head coach Sean McVay has up his sleeve. 

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Maverick Pallack
MAVERICK PALLACK

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