Yes, the LA Rams can pull off an upset win in Week 3, and here's how:

The LA Rams are still looking for a win in Week 3 of the 2024 NFL season, and must try to claim a victory against a team that has had their number in recent years, the San Francisco 49ers. The Rams roster is decimated by injuries after just two games, missing five starters on offense and at least two starters on defense. So this is not going to be an easy task.

But it is not impossible. The LA Rams junior varsity squad showcased exactly how to defeat the dreaded Niners in a sensational win to finish the 2023 NFL season. In a word, the Rams merely have to be: Unpredictable.

While that is easy enough to say, or type out, it's an ambiguous term that carries a great deal of uncertainty and as many layers as a full grown vidalia onion. And therein lies the secret sauce to success. Here's what I mean:

When the LA Rams defeated the 49ers in Week 18 of the 2023 NFL season, the only true 'starter' from the offense was rookie WR Puka Nacua, and he played because he was chasing the All-Time NFL Rookie Receiving records. As soon as he smashed the record books, he sat. And when he sat, the Rams came back from behind to win the game in incredible fashion.

It was not until the Rams offense was completely and utterly unpredictable that the Rams took over the game. And the team did not win the game through the air. It was basic fundamental ground game offense and an opportunistic defense that claimed a win for the team. So how can the team replicate that success in Week 3? Let's break it down:

(1) - RB Blake Corum must be part of the offense

There is far too much familiarity between the LA Rams and the San Francisco 49ers. So much so that the games often turn into a contest of wills over strategy. The 49ers love to run the ball, so much that you can expect the 49ers to run at least 30+ times in the Week 3 matchup. Conversely, the 49ers understand that if the Rams fall behind on the scoreboard, even by three points, the Rams will abandon the running game, and will turn into a pass-happy offense.

That is true even now, even though the Rams are without their top three receivers. And you can bet that the 49ers defense is well-schooled on the fact that the Rams will pass, pass, pass if they fall behind on the scoreboard. But in that Week 18 win, the Rams stuck with the running game. Well, the Rams tried to pass, but QB Carson Wentz proved to be too much for the 49ers defense, and was able to scramble to daylight time and time again.

While we cannot expect veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford to replicate Wentz's ability to scramble, the team can throw a monkey wrench into the 49ers lock-tight defensive strategy. Simply hand the football off to rookie RB Blake Corum.

But the Rams cannot simply do with Corum what the team would do with feature RB Kyren Williams. The Rams have to be a bit more creative. Whether it means misdirection, draw plays, sweeps, or simply quick slants off the guard, the Rams have to get going on the ground, and the key to running effectively in Week 3 is getting rookie Blake Corum going.

Kyren Williams will have his moments. But Week 3 should belong to Blake Corum.

(2) - Rams tight ends need to block and catch passes

Despite the team carrying four tight ends on the roster (one on IR in TE Tyler Higbee), the contribution of the entire tight end group after two games is five catches out of seven targets for 59 yards. No touchdowns. That's it. that is hardly worth an investment of three roster slots, let alone all of the precious salary cap space tied up in the group.

But you can't fault the tight ends. Seven targets in two games is pedestrian. And this was supposed to be the group that helped the offense solve their red zone enigma. The problem is, unless they are incorporated into the offense, they will remain entirely ineffective.

Even with both starting offensive tackles returning for Week 3, the Rams offense is far too predictable. The offense must reroute some of their offense through the tight ends, and Week 3 is the perfect time for such a subtle change. The Rams have both Hunter Long and Colby Parkinson ready to go. It's time that the team makes full use of their available assets. I'm not talking targeting Long and Parkinson 10+ times apiece.

But this offense needs to find new weapons who can step up and carry the offense for at least a game or two. And the 49ers will be looking at WR Demarcus Robinson throughout the game. So switch things up and throw their defense a curve ball. Theoretically, the Rams should be able to run and pass out of a 12-personnel offensive formation.

Well, in theory anyways. Whether or not the Rams execute greater use of their talented tight ends is another matter altogether.

(3) - Rams ILBs must aggressively stuff the run

The LA Rams may or may not have realized what parting ways with veteran ILB Ernest Jones would mean to their defense. But starting ILB Troy Reeder has played 126 defensive snaps, made 16 tackles, missed two tackles, and has yet to make a single tackle for a loss. That is rather disappointing for a guy who commands the heart of the Rams defense.

In pass coverage, Reeder has allowed four of six passes thrown to his receiver to find their mark.

His partner in crime, ILB Christian Rozeboom, is even more disappointing. In 97 defensive snaps, Rozeboom has made a total of 13 tackles, missed five tackles, and has no tackles for a loss. Nada. Zilch. In pass coverage, Rozeboom has allowed eight of nine passes to find their mark. And we know that the 49er offense loves to work the middle of the football field.

That's not a great setup for Week 3.

Ideally, I'd love to see the Rams elevate rookie ILB Omar Speights to start this week. While young and in experienced, he is a sure-handed tackler who knows where to be, how to stuff runs, and how to get the defense off the field. Right now, neither Troy Reeder nor Christian Rozeboom are cutting it.

In all honesty, it doesn't matter to me who plays the inside linebacker position. My only expectation is that they do not take up position four or five yards off the line of scrimmage, await the ball carrier to get to them, and then let the running back carry them an additional three to six yards downfield. Right now, that is what the team is getting out of their current ILBs. That is, if they record a tackle at all.

That cannot happen this week. The Rams defense has to shut down the 49ers rushing attack early in this game. If not, the Rams will not only risk losing the game. The Rams offense could lose more offensive weapons in their earnest attempts to come from behind and win the game.

(4) - 4 Rams pass rushers must sack Brock Purdy

The LA Rams have plenty of pass rush 'beef,' on the line of scrimmage. But so far, the Furians have been quietly subdued. Just three quarterback sacks in two games is hardly what this defense needs to show up with. The Rams secondary, riddled by injury, is not getting off to a very solid start this season.

The Rams allowed Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray to record a perfect quarterback rating against them in Week 2. His jersey and game ball are now displayed in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. That's quite . . . disappointing.

The defense has to rally after that heartbreaking performance.

This defense is not void of talent. The Rams have DT Kobie Turner, OLB Byron Young, DT Braden Fiske, OLB Jared Verse, and OLB Michael Hoecht. While the San Francisco 49ers are typically quite adept at protecting their quarterback, QB Brock Purdy has already been sacked eight times in 2024. I'd love to see the Rams push that to 12 or more sacks.

Can it be done? So far, only DT Kobie Turner, OLB Jared Verse, and OLB Byron Young have managed to bring down the opposing quarterback. That's simply not good enough. I understand the subtleties of the pass rush, and how some would argue that quarterback pressures and hurries are just as 'effective,' as a quarterback sack. But sacking the quarterback ensures a lost down, and more often than not lost yardage.

The pass rush needs to show up in Week 3. Desperately.

(5) - Rams must target Colby Parkinson, Tutu Atwell, and Tyler Johnson

We had discussed how the offense must get tight ends involved in Week 3. But for this final slide, we want to expand the offense to include the seldom used offensive weapons who are suddenly thrust into prominent roles due to injuries. And you can bet that the 49ers defense is already well prepared to take both WR Demarcus Robinson and RB Kyren Williams out of circulation.

The Rams predictably emphasize experience. And that becomes even more predictable when the team begins to lose players to injury. In Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season, the injury to WR Cooper Kupp prompted the team to target WR Tutu Atwell and rookie WR Puka Nacua. When Nacua proved to be adept at hauling in Matthew Stafford passes, the team pivoted to emphasizing passes to Nacua.

But here we are again, with Cooper Kupp out in Week 3 of the 2024 NFL season. So it falls to reason that the team will need to reroute the offense through alternative receivers. The most logical choice is to feature WR Demarcus Robinson. That is why the team cannot take the bait, as the 49ers are almost certain to rotate coverages to neutralize Robinson.

Combining the skillsets of Tyler Davis, Tutu Atwell, and Colby Parkinson is an effective way to counter the 49ers secondary. Parkinson is a big bodied tight end who can catch passes in traffic down the seam or across the middle. Tyler Davis is an unfamiliar WR who had success against the 49ers in Week 18, and he has a style that is quite similar to Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. And Tutu Atwell is the speed demon who can change the game's momentum with one reception, and his presence on the football field all but ensures the 49ers cannot load up the box with eight defenders.

Two tight ends with WR Tutu Atwell is the perfect offense. If the 49ers crowd the box, send Atwell on a deep route. If the 49ers play two deep coverage, run the football.

Yes, the Rams can win this game. Let's hope that they are unpredictable enough to do so.

As always, thanks for reading.