The Los Angeles Rams are set to host the San Francisco 49ers at SoFi Stadium on Sunday, where both teams will look to gain ground in the crowded NFC West division.
The Rams have struggled through two weeks, and are winless at 0-2. This includes a Week 2 blowout at the hands of the Arizona Cardinals, in which rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. torched LA’s defense.
While the Rams made the playoffs last year in surprising fashion, the wheels have seemingly already fallen off in 2024 as the current roster has been decimated by injuries and an overall lack of depth.
Just two games into the season, star wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua are expected to miss an extended amount of time with injuries, as Nacua has already been placed on injury reserve and Kupp may join him in the coming days.
The Rams’ offensive line has also been battered with injuries as they currently have five offensive linemen on their injured reserve list. The secondary has also struggled to stay on the field, including veteran defensive back Darious Williams.
While the injuries have derailed the start of their season, the product on the field hasn’t done much to fill in the gaps. Newly signed cornerback Tre’Davious White has been lackluster, allowing 163 yards through the air, rounding out to a staggering 23.3 yards per reception.
The Rams haven’t gotten much going on the ground either. Breakout star Kyren Williams posted over 1,300 all-purpose yards in 2023 while adding 12 touchdowns, but this season has seen him average a measly 2.5 yards per carry behind a deteriorated offensive line.
The Rams’ next task is the reigning NFC champions, the 49ers.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford hasn’t been able to do much with his main targets sidelined, only passing for a single touchdown so far. Stafford will get another tough matchup this week as 49ers defensive lineman Nick Bosa and linebacker Fred Warner pose major threats.
Dating back to their last ten matchups, the Rams are 2-8 against the 49ers as San Francisco has dominated them in the regular season. However, the 49ers have also caught the injury bug, and they’re missing plenty of their superstars early in the campaign.
At the forefront of the 49ers’ injury problems is running back Christian McCaffrey who was placed on injury reserve with Achilles tendonitis. McCaffrey is often considered the top tailback in the league and is the main core of the 49ers’ offense. Running back Jordan Mason has filled in admirably so far, but it’s a far cry from McCaffrey’s MVP-level production.
The 49ers will also be without wide receiver Deebo Samuel, as he suffered a calf strain that will hold him out for at least a couple of weeks. Samuel has been a swiss army knife of sorts for head coach Kyle Shanahan, as his capability to run the ball and rack up yards after the catch has been crucial for San Francisco’s high-powered offense.
As the week has progressed, plenty of key cogs of the 49ers’ championship-caliber roster have appeared on the injury report, as cornerback Charvarious Ward and tight end George Kittle missed practice on Thursday and are trending towards game-time decisions come Sunday.
Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk—who recently inked a massive four-year, $120-million deal—has gotten off to a shockingly slow start. In two games, Aiyuk has only converted six catches for 71 yards and is still vying for his first touchdown of 2024.
At the helm of the offense, quarterback Brock Purdy hasn’t performed poorly, but he’s only tossed one touchdown, matching his one interception. He’s recorded 550 passing yards, but if the 49ers want to compete for another Super Bowl appearance this year, he’ll have to be more productive, especially in the red zone. For instance, against the Jets in Week 1, kicker Jake Moody shouldn’t have been relied upon to make six field goals with how much talent San Francisco’s offense has.
To the Rams’ credit, head coach Sean McVay has done a tremendous job with developing unknown offensive and defensive players, and many of them will have a shot to compete for starting jobs on Sunday. Wide receivers Demarcus Robinson, Jordan Whittington and Tyler Johnson will all get a chance to win a starting spot in the absence of Kupp and Nacua.
Although a team led by Matthew Stafford should never be counted out, the Rams’ expectations should be modified amid the injury bug.