The San Francisco 49ers have struggled in the first half of the season without many key defensive pieces. Aldon Smith has missed the entire season due to suspension, while NaVorro Bowman and Glenn Dorsey have both been out with injuries. Patrick Willis has also missed time, leading to the 49ers having just a 4-3 record. If the playoffs began today, San Francisco would be watching from home.
Rams vs. 49ers 2014 picks and predictions: San Francisco a heavy favorite
San Francisco dispatched St. Louis a few weeks ago and plan to repeat the feat on Sunday.
Justin Edmonds
However, San Francisco has a chance to get going in the right direction following its bye week. The 49ers play host to the St. Louis Rams, a team it beat on Monday Night Football back in Week 6. Colin Kaepernick shredded St. Louis for 343 passing yards and three touchdowns, while the defense racked up five sacks.
The Rams sit at 2-5 and are coming off a 34-7 beating against the Kansas City Chiefs. St. Louis has been hammered by injuries at various positions, including quarterback. The good news is that third-stringer Austin Davis has been a pleasant surprise behind center, completing 65.2 percent of his passes with 10 touchdowns and only five picks.
Still, the experts are very one-sided on this game. Here at SB Nation, it is a clean sweep of our seven-man panel in favor of the 49ers.
| Ryan Van Bibber | Stephen White | David Fucillo | Danny Kelly | PFT Commenter | Matt Ufford | Joel Thorman | |
| STL vs. SF | SF | SF | SF | SF | SF | SF | SF |
The opinions are the same over at ESPN, with all 13 analysts believing San Francisco will improve to 5-3 in the competitive NFC West. USA Today’s seven prognosticators also went with the 49ers to win at Levi’s Stadium, not buying into the Rams to pull off the upset. Josh Katzowitz of CBS Sports did pick St. Louis to cover the large 10.5-point spread, but nobody goes against the 49ers straight up.
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