5 brutal questions LA Rams can answer against the 49ers

II: How good is this LA Rams’ defense?

The LA Rams offense has struggled in the early weeks of the 2022 NFL season. While the Rams’ defense is not leading the NFL, they have been hampered with cleaning up after the offense that has already turned the football seven times, tied for the third most generous offense in the NFL.

Mix that with the fact that the LA Rams’ secondary has been depleted already due to injuries, and you have to wonder how the Rams have managed to win two games. Based on the views of some fans, the LA Rams have almost no chance of winning their third game this week.

I’m not convinced. This is a defense that now boasts All-Pro players at each level. While the pass rush has not started out at their typical rapid pace, the Rams are finding ways to get the job done by creating turnovers and making key stops. Now, the question is, can this defense play well enough to win against a physical opponent who knows them as well as they know themselves?

Perhaps.

49ers’ offense is struggling more

We’d talked about the struggles of the LA Rams offense, but the San Francisco 49ers offense is struggling even more. After three games, the 49ers’ offense is tied at 28th place with just 15.7 points per game. They have run the ball incredibly well, averaging 151.0 yards per game. But they have only managed 172.7 yards per game through the air, with two touchdowns, two interceptions, and allowing seven quarterback sacks for a loss of 41 yards.

The 49ers may love to run the ball, but even when doing so, they have only managed to run for three touchdowns.

Of course, you can chuck any trends when the Rams and the 49ers meet. The Rams have learned far too often that the 49ers seem to get healthy and quite efficient when the Rams roll into town. But much of that has been due to the fact that the 49ers game plan such a team-friendly offense for Jimmy Garoppolo that nearly anyone could run the offense, and win.

The Rams have got to stop the run, force Jimmy G into third down and long-distance situations, and create turnovers.