Rams Preparing For 'Nightmare' 49ers Offensive Attack Even With Injuries

Valentina Martinez | Sep 22, 2024

Jan 7, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams linebacker Michael Hoecht (97) gestures after recording a sack against the San Francisco 49ers during the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Rams have a 0-2 record going into the Week 3 NFC rivalry matchup. Although the Rams have suffered an unprecedented number of injuries, the San Francisco 49ers haven't started the season unscathed.

The 49ers are short two pivotal stars in Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel. The San Francisco running back landed on injured reserve due to Achilles tendonitis and won't return to the team for at least four games. Samuel is expected to miss a few weeks with a calf strain.

McCaffrey and Samuel are usually 49ers quarterback Brocky Purdy's most reliable weapons. Through the first two weeks of the season, Samuel was the primary receiver for San Francisco.

Samuel recorded 13 receptions for 164 yards, 10 rushes for 113 yards, and a rushing touchdown.

In the absence of McCaffrey and Samuel, the 49ers will turn to Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle, Jauan Jennings, and Jordan Mason to keep the offense afloat.

Despite the loss of two key starters, Rams head coach Sean McVay believes the 49ers offense is still a threat.

"Kittle and Aiyuk are nightmares," McVay said via the team transcript. "And I think Jauan Jennings is a very underrated player."

Aiyuk signed a four-year, $120 million deal with the 49ers just a few days before the season opener. Although he received a sizable payday from San Francisco, he hasn't been a huge playmaker through the first two weeks of the season.

The best-case scenario for the injury-ridden Rams would be if Aiyuk continued his current trend.

Though the 49ers are missing two starters, the Rams have been decimated by injuries. Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, Steve Avila, and Jonah Jackson are key starters that won't be playing in Week 3. Several other players have also been hit by the injury bug.

Matthew Stafford told reporters the challenges he will face in the NFC rivalry.

"Just try to be as clear and concise as I possibly can," Stafford said. "The way some of these guys might run routes might be different than how Puka and Cooper run them... It's body language. I don't mean they run completely different route trees, (it's) more in the fact that the way they might separate is going to be different."

The Rams hope to avoid going 0-3 after Sunday's matchup, despite missing a slew of starters.

"Our job is to be able to figure out how do we move forward," McVay said. "How do we represent the things that we want to represent?"