Rams' Hated Rivals Facing Do-or-Die Scenario

The Los Angeles Rams fiercest rivals are facing a do-or-die scenario over the next several weeks of the NFL season.

Sep 22, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) is stopped by Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Braden Fiske (55) and defensive tackle Kobie Turner (91) for a first down in the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The San Francisco 49ers entered the 2024 NFL season with sky-high expectations. As a matter of fact, many considered them the most talented team in the league.

And who could blame everyone for feeling that way?

The 49ers are stacked on both sides of the ball, won 25 regular-season games combined in 2022 and 2023 and are coming off of a Super Bowl appearance in which they nearly dethroned Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.

So, what exactly has happened to San Francisco, which lost to an injury-riddled Los Angeles Rams squad in late September?

After defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in dramatic fashion on Sunday, the Niners are just 5-4 on the season and have a brutal upcoming stretch.

The 49ers will have the Seattle Seahawks at home next week before embarking on a two-game road trip with matchups against the Green Bay Packers and Buffalo Bills.

These next few games may very well make or break San Francisco, which is desperately trying to keep its championship hopes alive.

Consider this: if the Niners fail to make the playoffs this year, major changes may have to occur in the Bay. People will instantly wonder if things have gotten stale for a 49ers squad that just cannot seem to get over the hump in spite of having all of the pieces to do so.

In fairness, San Francisco has been slammed by the injury bug in 2024. Christian McCaffrey just made his debut against the Buccaneers, and No. 1 wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is out for the season.

Having McCaffrey back is huge and should absolutely help propel the Niners' offense, but being without Aiyuk is huge, especially for a quarterback in Brock Purdy that has grown accustomed to having tons of elite weapons at his disposal.

The Niners also exhibited significant signs of frustration on Sunday, when Deebo Samuel had a heated sideline confrontation with kicker Jake Moody and long snapper Taybor Pepper following Moody's third missed field goal.

But the 49ers could make everyone quickly forget about their struggles by reeling off a few wins in a row here in order to re-assert themselves in the NFC.

The Rams are obviously hoping that San Francisco's maddeningly inconsistent play persists, which would open the door for Los Angeles to snatch the NFC West crown.

We're about to find out what the Niners are truly made of, and all of Los Angeles is intently watching.

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