Rams and Niners in Week 17 shaping up to say alot
By Steve Rivera
The Los Angeles Rams destruction of the Seattle Seahawks 42-7 isn’t the last tough NFC West game LA will face in 2017. Jimmy Garoppolo and the San Francisco 49ers get one last shot at the division leader in Week 17.
Don’t look now, but the San Francisco 49ers and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo have run off four straight wins and now have the Jacksonville Jaguars coming to town for a Christmas Eve Week 16 game, and then get the Los Angeles Rams for a curious date on the road for New Year’s Eve.
Interesting, right?
For those who can’t recall, Los Angeles and San Francisco went mano-a-mano in a Week 3 battle that was decided when Rams ‘All Everything’ Aaron Donald sacked then 49ers quarterback Brian Hoyer to secure a 41-39 win that would effectively launch LA to the next level.
Now, with Garoppolo at the controls, San Francisco looks to be rising as the season reaches its conclusion, and the Rams are looking to square things away for a postseason run.
Just don’t expect the Niners to be the gateway for Los Angeles and 2017 playoff nirvana.
As bad as the Rams beat the Seattle Seahawks 42-7, and as easily and LA handled the Arizona Cardinals, expect an absolute battle with Garoppolo running a much more productive 49ers offense.
With two week to go in the 2017 season, Los Angeles has had a slew of playoff teams on the schedule going back to Week 11, when the Rams went to Minnesota to play Case Keenum and the Vikings.
Since, LA has had the Saints, Philadelphia and Seattle, with AFC playoff contender Tennessee on the road this week.
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Only Arizona and San Francisco, and maybe now Seattle, will be the teams in a five game December slate that won’t factor into postseason play.
Expect San Francisco to be a tough test.
With Garoppolo, that’s a tough test in Week 17, and seasons to come.