The San Francisco 49ers offense looks to bounce back from a four-turnover performance this past Sunday. They’ll attempt to do so with a backup quarterback and a couple of backup wide receivers. Still, it’s a Kyle Shanahan team against a Sean McVay squad.
Shanahan has been competitive against the Rams on the road. Injuries make the margin for error slimmer than ever, but Shanahan owns the advantage over McVay by a healthy margin.
I don’t think we have to worry about Shanahan trusting Mac Jones, who had 39 and 41 attempts in each of his two starts. On a short week, Shanahan may dial that back. Or, he could lean into Jones, knowing the offense and dink and dunk their way down the field. Christian McCaffrey will be involved. We know that. But who is the “next man up” for the 49ers? Kendrick Bourne, Demarcus Robinson, and Jake Tonges figure to be the primary threats.
Defensively, Robert Saleh will craft a plan to slow down Puka Nacua and make life as difficult as possible for Matthew Stafford. If Los Angeles wins because they had multiple scoring drives of 15+ plays, then so be it. But the Niners can’t afford to get in a shootout. It’ll be a long night if the Rams offense can generate multiple explosive plays.
Who do you trust more tonight, the 49ers offense or defense?
