LA Rams must shed nice guy image and sink the 49ers season

We know that the LA Rams enter Monday Night Football with a record of 7-2 and take on their formidable rival, the San Francisco 49ers, who currently hold a 3-5 record. With a win, the San Francisco 49ers hope to rebound in the second half of the 2021 NFL season and hurt the Rams’ chances of claiming a playoff berth.

Likewise, with a win, the Rams can cripple the 49ers’ hopes for any post-season competition this year. Here is hoping that it happens. Not just for the LA Rams sake, but for the San Francisco 49ers’ sake as well.

While the LA Rams have had a problem defeating the 49ers in recent years, other NFL teams have had no difficulty with getting a win against the 49ers. Yes, that 13-3 record in 2019 was a magical run that ended at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV. That happened to occur during the lone season where the LA Rams struggled with countless injuries.

Removing that season, and the 49ers have played to a 19-37 record over the other four years. Yes, the 49ers have defeated the Rams in their last four meetings, but the overall series is closer, with the San Francisco 49ers with a slim 73-67-3 advantage.

Removing just the last two wins enjoyed by the 49ers over the Rams in 2020, and the record for the 49ers falls to a dismal 17-37 record in the past four years. Of course, the 49ers’ dominance over the Rams had come with their intimate knowledge of former quarterback Jared Goff’s weaknesses. That should not be the case this year, as the Rams have a new veteran quarterback, Matthew Stafford, who has proven to do a much better job of running the offense this season.

This is the first true litmus test of the Rams this season. In each of the past two seasons, the Rams were either too timid or too cute to defeat the San Francisco 49ers. Ultimately, the Rams have either not shown up, or have committed fatal mistakes late in the game that cost them the win. Now, the Rams must play an entire 60 minutes of NFL football flawlessly. Can they do it?