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49ers Aim to Knock Rams from Atop NFC West

Whichever team wins Sunday at Levi's Stadium will sit alone atop the NFC West.

Ted Hazelrig

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The Rams upset the Seahawks in Week 1 in Seattle. The 49ers dismantled the Steelers in Week 1 in Pittsburgh. Now both teams are 1-0, but the Rams have the lead in the NFC West, due to being 1-0 in conference as well in division. Whichever team wins Sunday at Levi's South will sit alone atop the NFC West.

Here's why I believe that the 49ers will win:

The 49ers had the No. 1 defense in the NFL in 2022. They added star defensive tackle Javon Hargrave and didn't lose any impact players, besides Jimmie Ward.

The 49ers offense has never had Brock Purdy vs the Rams. He is the best valued quarterback in the NFL. Arguably the best value in all of professional sports. Purdy is a mental giant. He oozes with poise, leadership, confidence and makes very good decisions.

The 49ers offense has never had running back Christian McCaffrey, wide back Deebo Samuel & tight end George Kittle all play together vs the Rams. They are all All Pro players that can carry the team individually. As a group they are lethal.

Kyle Shanahan is 8-1 vs Sean McVay in their 9 meetings.

Aaron Donald is still one of the best players in the NFL at any position, but he doesn't have much help on the rest of the Rams defense. In recent meetings, 49ers guard Daniel Brunskill largely stifled Donald. Since Brunskill is now on the Titans, I expect to more production from Donald than we have seen recently.

Rams super star receiver Cooper Kupp on IR.

Rams rookie receiver sensation Puka Nacua who had a big game in Seattle is questionable with a rib / oblique injury.

The only injured 49ers player who is certain to miss the game is cornerback Samuel Womack III.

The 49ers will on Sunday to knock the Rams from atop the NFC West. Will they cover the 7.5 point spread? I'll reply to this article with my point totals prediction once we know exactly who will play & who won't about an hour prior to kickoff which is set for 1:05pm PST.

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Ted Hazelrig
TED HAZELRIG

Ted Hazelrig grew up on the mid peninsula in the '70s and '80s and is a life-long, rabid 49ers fan from prior to Eddie DeBartlolo Jr., Joe Montana and Bill Walsh, all the way through to the present. He is a graduate of Santa Clara University, who enjoys golf, biking, hiking, tennis and water/snow skiing. He was a 49ers season ticket holder at Candlestick Park and still attends several games every season at Levi's Stadium.  His career has been as a tech recruiter, but he would like nothing more than to pivot into covering the 49ers on a full-time basis. He loves to read, watch and listen to all the brilliant 49ers content creators. To take his knowledge to the ultimate extreme, he has found that arguing with passionate and knowledgeable fans of both the 49ers and opposing teams really puts his knowledge over the top.  Right now, his most hated team is the Seattle Seahawks. For many years it was the Troy Aikman led Dallas Cowboys and for a while the Brett Favre led Packers. The Patrick Mahomes led Chiefs are his most-hated AFC team. Ted's second-favorite team is the Josh Allen led Buffalo Bills. While he may like other teams, Ted is passionate about the 49ers. He endeavors to always be honest, polite, not profane and never get personal. He got his break covering the 49ers for @49ersHive and also has written some articles for @49ersCap. You can find him at @TedH6 on twitter, or Ted Talks Ball on YouTube and other platforms. Ted is thrilled to join Grant Cohn and his extremely talented team at @All49ersFN.

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