The NFL continues this week and this is a match-up between two sides who have mixed seasons but still have playoff aspirations, as the San Francisco 49ers host the Los Angeles Rams.
The 49ers have had a poor campaign by their own standards with several injury issues and come into this with a 6-7 record for the season, while the Rams have recovered from a really poor start to come into this with a 7-6 record.
We’ll take a look at the match up and provide you with our best free NFL betting picks to try and earn you some extra cash while you take in the action on the field.
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The 49ers opened their season in the perfect way as they claimed a dominant 32-19 win over the New York Jets in week one, but defeat followed in week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings was poor though as they fell to a 23-17 loss.
Week 3 saw San Francisco fall to 1-2 as they collapsed in the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Rams and lose despite being the better team throughout, in a surprising defeat that would eventually sup up their campaign.
They bounced back the following week against the New England Patriots with an explosive performance, hitting 30 points to the Patriots’ 13, including outscoring them 20-3 in the first half. Week 5 saw another defeat as the Arizona Cardinals came from a 13-point deficit to win 24-23, before they then smashed through the Seattle Seahawks with a 36-24 win to get back to winning ways.
A defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs followed before a 30-24 win over Dallas Cowboys before their bye week, and they returned from that recharged to claim a 23-20 win over t he Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After that though things took a negative turn and the 49ers suffered three consecutive defeats against the Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers and Buffalo Bills – conceding 93 points in the process.
Last time out though they managed to snap that streak with a dominant performance against the Chicago Bears to get back to winning ways, and they will be hoping to carry that momentum through in this game to keep their playoff hopes alive.
The Rams started the season in really bad fashion, losing four of their opening five games with some poor performances along the way.
Their opening game against the Detroit Lions saw a 26-20 defeat in overtime, before they were thrashed by the Arizona Cardinals in week 2 with a 41-10 scoreline. Los Angeles picked up their first win of the season against the 49ers in week 3, before two more disappointing results against the Bears and Packers saw them fall to 1-4 before their bye week.
Since that break Sean McVay has got his team back on track though and they returned with three consecutive victories over the Las Vegas Raiders, Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks, before falling to a disappointing 23-15 defeat to the Miami Dolphins in week 10.
A win over the New England Patriots came next before a lopsided loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, but the Rams are now on a two-game winning run after dispatching of the New Orleans Saints 21-14 and then a crazy 44-42 win over the Bills last time out.
The 49ers showed in Week 14 that despite their poor record this season, they’re still one of the better teams the NFL has to offer and they are still capable of performing to their level.
They remain a top-three team in Net Yards per Play and Brock Purdy can find a way to beat defenses no matter who he has available to throw to. Los Angeles are the team in better form, but they have some big question marks in their offensive play.
The Rams rank in the bottom five of the NFL in third down conversion rate and Matt Stafford has been bang average for the majority of the 2024 season, which is something the 49ers can take advantage of.
On current form the Rams look better, but taking into account their most recent performances and the way the game between these sides went earlier in the season the value is in the 49ers covering the spread.
Check out our review for BetOnline sports betting here.
It may seem like a bit of a high number on paper, but this is a good total for these two teams to be able to surpass.
Their first meeting earlier in the season ended with 51 points on the board, while games involving either of these two teams hitting 49 or more points this season has happened on ten occasions.
San Francisco are averaging 23.7 points per game scored and allowed, while the Rams are scoring 22.9 points per game and allowing 25.5 points per game on average – which falls just short of the total needed here.
However, both teams are coming off huge results where they scored a lot of points and defensively haven’t been strong this season. Expect them to prioritise their offense to get a win here, meaning lots of points.
Check out our review for BetUS sports betting here.
About the Author
Daniel is a football writer who has a great thirst for the Premier League and other major European leagues. A lover of the beautiful game and a firm believer that the eye test is better than statistics. Also an avid MMA fan.
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