Can the LA Rams defense stop the 49ers ground game?

The LA Rams postseason playoff defense is a bit formidable. In two games played so far, the LA Rams have held the opponent to an average of 56 yards per game. Ah, but there had to be a trick, right?  Well, there is. You see, The LA Rams have faced the Arizona Cardinals and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the post-season. In both games, the Rams have competed in both games without either starting safety on the football field.

As a result, the LA Rams have faced the most passes than any other playoff team – 88. That works out to an average passing attack of 44 passes per game. On the flip side, the LA Rams have faced some of the fewest rushing attacks of any playoff team – 32. That works out to just 16 rushes per game.

Still, even when we flip the numbers to a more comparative apples-to-apples perspective, yards per rush, we remain in pretty positive territory. The Rams rush defense ends up as the third-ranked playoff run defense on an average-per-carry basis. That was against the Arizona Cardinals (10th-best NFL rushing offense) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (the team that ran for over 100 yards against the Philadelphia Eagles).

The defense rests

So how have the LA Rams defended against the San Francisco 49er rushing attack? Well, in the first contest, the 49ers were up by a score of 21-7 by halftime, and that fed right into the fact that they ran the ball 44 times for 156 yards. While the 49ers only averaged 3.5 yards per rush, that rushing attack was able to convert on 9 of 16 third and fourth downs.

In their second meeting, the 49ers were a bit more effective at running the ball. While they only ran 35 times, they were able to gain 135 yards on the ground. Once more, they were able to move the chains rather effectively, converting on 9 of 14 third downs.

One final note: The San Francisco 49ers had their BYE week on Week 6, while the LA Rams had their BYE week on Week 11. The 49ers have been going at it for 14 straight weeks. That takes its toll over time. RB Elijah Mitchell is fighting off a knee injury, while RB Jeff Wilson Jr. is fighting through an ankle injury. Those small but nagging injuries compound over time.

For this one, battle lines will be drawn all over the football field. But don’t ignore that clash at the line of scrimmage. The victor could very well be the team that simply runs with the ball more effectively.