After losing two of their first three games, the St. Louis Rams have clawed back to .500 and now have a chance to move above that magical threshold this late in the season for the first time in nearly a decade. Standing in their way is a 49ers team that is coming off yet another embarrassing loss, when they were totally dominated by the Seahawks last Thursday night.
NFL picks and predictions, 49ers vs. Rams 2015: St. Louis favored to roll at home
The Rams are looking to get over .500 this late into the season for the first time since 2006.
The Rams are 3-3, and are looking to own a winning record through seven games for the first time since 2006. If they are going to remain in the playoff hunt, though, they need to improve an offense that has struggled to score despite the arrival of stud running back Todd Gurley. The Rams rank 31st in points and have been held to 10 points or fewer in three of six games.
After rushing just six times for 9 yards in his debut in Week 3, Gurley has blossomed into a superstar over the past three weeks. Since Week 4, he leads the NFL in rushing yards per game (144.3) and carries per game (22.7), and ranks fourth in yards per rush (6.4). He has topped 100 yards on the ground in all three contests, and just became the first rookie since Cadillac Williams in 2005 to rush for at least 125 yards in each of his first three career starts.
San Francisco is now 2-5, winless in the division and its offense is in full train-wreck mode. The 49ers managed just 142 total yards in the loss to Seattle -- their fewest in a game since 2005 -- and finished with more punts (nine) than first downs (eight). They are now dead last in both points per game and yards per game this season. Even worse, they’ve been outscored by an NFL-high 77 points, and rank as the worst overall team in the league per Football Outsiders’ team efficiency ratings.
The experts at CBS Sports are heavily favoring the Rams in Week 8, with six of eight taking the home team. The picks distribution is similar for the crew here at SB Nation, as only David Fucillo is predicting an upset by the 49ers.
| Ryan Van Bibber | Stephen White | Joel Thorman | David Fucillo | Danny Kelly | Matt Ufford | PFT Commenter | OddsShark | |
| SF vs STL | STL | STL | STL | SF | STL | STL | STL | STL |
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