NFC Championship: Best and Worst Case Scenarios

The 49ers defensive line is relentless, the linebackers are the best unit in the league and the secondary is anchored by veterans who don’t make big mistakes anymore.

Here we are again.

The San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams face off for the third time this season and the second time in three weeks. Not much has changed. The 49ers Faithful are on track to take over Sofi Stadium or Levi’s South as it’s being called. The Rams are still favored to win the game and the matchups on the field remain largely unchanged.

What can be different? Well, here’s what to watch for on Championship Sunday.

Best Case Scenario: The 49ers continue the momentum they built in the second half of the Rams Week 18 matchup and have carried throughout the postseason.

Let’s face it, the 49ers game plan comes down to Deebo Samuel, Elijah Mitchell and the offensive line. Passing is, and should be a footnote for the 2022 49ers and it's finally time for Kyle Shanahan to prove he’s learned this is how they must play. Mitchell and Samuel will dominate the time of possession for the 49ers behind their physical offensive line with or without All Pro Trent Williams.

The backfield combo should go off for more than 150 rushing yards and Jimmy Garoppolo will do his best impression of his 2019 NFC Championship performance. While Garoppolo will likely throw more than eight passes in this game, they will be easy throws in his comfort zone.

The Rams have not figured out how to put pressure on Garoppolo regardless of their front four talent and that won’t change in three weeks. In addition to the 49ers dominance in the run game, too many playmakers on the outside render Jalen Ramsey, the Rams only stud secondary player, ineffective.

Matthew Stafford will turn the ball over multiple times in this game. He lacks the patience to be a game manager and will eventually press when falling behind or facing pressure. The 49ers have forced 17 turnovers since Week 10 and they will capitalize on Stafford's lack of patience this week.

Worst Case Scenario: This is short and simple, Jimmy Garoppolo.

The Rams only path to victory in this game is if Garoppolo turns the ball over more than twice. The 49ers must win the turnover battle and I’m chalking Stafford up to contribute two turnovers, so if Garoppolo has a Bad Jimmy performance, it could be close.

The only way the Rams defense stops the 49ers offense is turnovers. Not much else to the story.

Chuy’s Prediction: The 49ers have the mental edge, physical edge and coaching edge in this ball game. They are simply the better team and they will show it in all phases of the game.

The 49ers will run the ball over 30 times in this game and will gain well over 150 rushing yards. Given this success, Garoppolo will throw less than 20 passes in this game and that is the 49ers’ recipe for success. It doesn’t matter who catches the 15 or so completions from Garoppolo, the tandem of Deebo and Mitchell in the backfield will be the difference in the game.

The 49ers defense must limit the big plays to every player other than Cooper Kupp. Now, I understand Kupp is the focal point of the Rams offense but he alone cannot beat the 49ers, he’s tried twice this season and has come up short despite having breakout performances. The Rams must get big contributions from someone other than Kupp to win and unfortunately they will lose the time of possession battle and have no rhythm on offense. Translation is they will hit a few big plays to Kupp and that will be their entire offense.

The 49ers defensive line is relentless, the linebackers are the best unit in the league and the secondary is anchored by veterans who don’t make a lot of big mistakes anymore.

This boils down to the 49ers being the better team across the board and have advantages in every phase of the game. The Rams simply don’t have enough paths to victory and even with a perfect scenario, they still likely lose a close game.

Final Score Prediction: 49ers 33 - Rams 20

Remember to tune in at Halftime to our YouTube channel: Chuy and Alejandra to chime in and give your thoughts on the first half. Follow us on Twitter: chuy_alejandra to stay updated on 49ers news. Enjoy the game!