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Predicting the Final Score of the 49ers-Rams Week 3 Matchup

I'm guessing both teams will want to run the ball as much as possible to protect their quarterbacks and avoid turnovers. Which means this game could come down to Jordan Mason vs. Kyren Williams.

Grant Cohn

Sep 17, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) throws under pressure from Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Kobie Turner (91) during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Sep 17, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) throws under pressure from Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Kobie Turner (91) during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
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What a letdown.

When the schedule came out in May, this Week 3 matchup between the 49ers and the Rams looked like it would be a great game between two elite teams. Now, it might be hard to watch.

The Rams are missing five starters on offense (Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, Tyler Higbee, Jonah Jackson and Steve Avila), while the 49ers are missing three starters on offense (Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle). Both teams most likely will struggle to throw the ball and score points.

I'm guessing both teams will want to run the ball as much as possible to protect their quarterbacks and avoid turnovers. Which means this game could come down to Jordan Mason vs. Kyren Williams.

Williams led the NFL in rushing yards per game last season with 95.6. So far this season, he's averaging just 37.9 rushing yards per game and 2.5 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Jordan Mason is averaging 5.1 yards per carry and 123.5 rushing yards per carry.

Advantage: 49ers.

To be fair, the Rams also have a decent backup running back they trust -- rookie Blake Corum. He might be better than Williams. And the 49ers do not currently have a backup running back they trust. They gave Isaac Guerendo one carry last week, he gained no yards and never saw the field again.

I'm guessing the 49ers will give Mason the ball more than 25 times and the 49ers will win a fast, low-scoring game.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION: 49ers 17, Rams 13.

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Grant Cohn

GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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