The 2017 NFL continues in week 3 with an NFC West rivalry game facing the Los Angeles Rams versus the San Francisco 49ers. Keep reading to get the Thursday Night Football NFL prediction.
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Thursday Night Football Picks, Predictions, Odds and More
Los Angeles Rams vs San Francisco 49ers
When: September 21, 2017, 8:25 PM ET
Where: Levi's Stadium
Spread: Rams -2.5
Over/Under: 39.5
Moneyline: Giants -173 vs Lions +153
Los Angeles Rams Betting
The Rams got off to the best of starts they could hope for, when they crushed the Indianapolis Colts 46-9.
However, they then lost the next game, 27-20, to the Washington Redskins which deflated their hopes somewhat.
Regardless of the loss, they’ve shown that this season might be a success or, at least, much better than last year’s campaign.
Second year quarterback Jared Goff, the overall number one pick last year, is starting to pay off.
Last year, Goff had a terrible season. However, he came out gunning this year and has improved in practically every statistical category.
Highest Passer Rating on 20+ yard passes (min. 9 attempts):
Goff - 146.8
Stafford - 125.0
Brady - 113.7
Wentz - 92.9
Brees - 89.9— PFF LA Rams (@PFF_LARams) September 20, 2017
Through both initial games, Goff has completed 36 of 54 attempts for 530 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception for a 103.2 passer rating.
I expect Goff will continue to strut his stuff in this game. More so considering that two of San Francisco’s safeties, Eric Reid and Jaquiski Tartt, are injured.
Goff and the Rams’ receiving corps are likely licking their chops of having at San Francisco through a relentless air attack.
LA’s running game has sadly not been up to par with the passing game; Todd Gurley, who had a breakout season two years ago, has 128 yards and 2 touchdowns on 35 carries.
Nevertheless, Gurley is equally effective through the air and, in fact, leads the team in receptions (eight), ranking second in targets (10), after finishing with 21 receptions as a rookie and 43 in his second season.
Some of the rookies will likely get a shot at running, especially if Malcolm Brown is not up to 100%. You might see someone like Justis Davis having a crack at gaining some traction on the ground.
Rookie tight end Gerald Everett has turned into Goff’s favorite target this season, grabbing 4 passes for 134 yards through the first two games.
The Rams offense is third best in the league this season, averaging 33 points per game, while the defense is holding opponents to just 18 points, which is 11th best in the NFL.
San Francisco 49ers Betting
The 49ers already knew this season would be full of growing pains as they continue to rebuild a franchise that’s crumbled to pieces since Jim Harbaugh was fired after the 2014 season.
New head coach Kyle Shanahan has been entrusted to lead the team back to better days, but the next two years might still be full of disappointments.
San Francisco has not won a game this season, losing to the Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks in their first two games.
Last week, they held their ground to the Seahawks, almost coming away with a win, but Seattle rallied back to score a game-winning touchdown with seven minutes left on the clock.
Quarterback Brian Hoyer has not impressed this season, completing 39 of 62 attempts for 292 yards, 0 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.
Not to rub salt on a wound, but it probably would have been better if the franchise had re-signed Colin Kaepernick.
The best weapon for the Niners is its running game with Carlos Hyde leading the way. Though he got off to a rocky start in the first game, against the Seahawks he ran for 124 yards on 15 carries.
Hyde is second in the NFL in yards per carry (7.04) and fourth in rushing yards (169) despite having just 24 carries, which is tied for 21st in the league.
Hyde’s 220 total yards through both initial games account for nearly 44 percent of the team’s entire total yards which says a ton about how this team’s offense is performing.
As impressive as Hyde is, I don’t really think he’ll have a good game against the Rams; considering the Los Angeles doesn’t really have to worry about San Francisco’s passing game, they focus fully on Hyde which will dampen his performance.
This isn’t to say they’ll stop Hyde completely, but don’t expect him to gain many yards.
The 49ers will have a crack at setting up a decent ground attack and pray that Hoyer can take better care of the ball because, at least, that’s what’s expected of him as a minimum.
Rams vs 49ers Betting Trends
- LA Rams is 1-8 ATS in its last 9 games
- LA Rams is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of LA Rams's last 6 games
- LA Rams is 4-13-1 SU in its last 18 games when playing San Francisco
- San Francisco is 4-12-1 ATS in its last 17 games
- San Francisco is 1-16 SU in its last 17 games
- San Francisco is 1-7 ATS in its last 8 games at home
- The total has gone UNDER in 18 of San Francisco's last 24 games at home
Picks and Prediction
ATS Pick: Rams
Straight Up Pick: Rams
Over/Under: Over
The public seems to agree that the Rams will win, as 67% of the money is on Los Angeles, while 68% is betting that the game will go under.
The 49ers will keep it close for a half, but the Rams will wake up in the second half and win.
