Rams roster reinforcements readied for Week 8 to face 49ers

Is the LA Rams rematch against the San Francisco 49ers a must-win? Well, theoretically no. But for the sake of confidence in the Rams’ ability to determine its own destiny this season, this game is certainly up there. After all, even at 3-3, the Rams cannot afford to lose another NFC West Division game. The 49ers have already beaten them once. And right now, the surprisingly successful Seattle Seahawks are 4-3 and show no signs of faltering anytime soon.

The LA Rams need this win, yes. But there are reasons to believe that the team can halt an irritating seven-game regular-season losing streak to their NFC West nemesis, the 49ers. The 49ers enter the game with several key players out.

And for a change, the LA Rams are getting healthier. For starters, the Rams finally will start offensive center Brian Allen, who has been injured since Week 1. And the team will have a robust group of defensive backs suited up for the secondary, including defensive back Troy Hill.

The Rams are even calling up RB Ronnie Rivers from the practice squad for this one:

Will it be enough? If you had asked me that years ago, I would have said yes with confidence. Now, I simply don’t know.

I do know that if the Rams are to have any chance of playing well in the postseason, they need to get past the San Francisco 49ers. But unlike past seasons, the NFC East and NFC North are playing well enough now to exhaust all possible wild card berths. So the only sure way for the LA Rams to guarantee an NFL Playoff berth is to win the NFC West Division outright.

That means that the LA Rams cannot roll over and play dead to the 49ers in this one.

The Rams may have familiar faces back, but this one will be on the backs of familiar faces. The Rams’ defense must play one of their best games of the season, particularly against the run. And the Rams will need to be a bit more creative offensively than just run on first down, then pass to either WR Cooper Kupp or TE Tyler Higbee.

It’s going to come down to this game as the turning point for one of these two proud NFL organizations. Let’s hope this one goes the Rams’ way.