49ers Rams Odds

Written by Jack Jones

The San Francisco 49ers look to cap off an improbable regular season when they travel to face the St. Louis Rams in Week 17. They have a lot at stake heading into this one, so they certainly should not be taking the Rams lightly. San Francisco has won six of the last seven meeting in this series, though the home team has won three in a row. The 49ers beat the Rams 26-0 in their first meeting on December 4th while outgaining them 389-157 for the game.

Oddsmakers in Las Vegas have installed a line of San Francisco -10.5 over St. Louis and a total set of 35.5 points for this season finale.

San Francisco

The 49ers have been the surprise of the league this season. San Francisco (12-3, 5-2 away) clinched the NFC West title and their first playoff berth since 2002 with their win over the Rams in their first meeting. They still have quite a bit to play for considering they can earn the No. 2 seed and a first round-bye with a win or a loss by the New Orleans Saints.

San Francisco is coming off a 19-17 road win over the Seattle Seahawks last week. They erased a 10-3 halftime deficit while outscoring the Seahawks 16-7 in the final 30 minutes. The 49ers would hold a 349-267 edge in total yards while not turning the ball over once en route to victory. Frank Gore rushed for 83 yards and a touchdown. David Akers kicked four field goals and now has an NFL-record 42 for the season.

This team ranks 4th in the league in total defense (308.1 yards/game) and 1st against the run (75.1 yards//game) while also along the fewest points in the NFL (202). The shocking part about this team is that they rank just 26th in total offense (310.2 yards/game), barely outgaining opponents on the season. They key to their season has been their +26 turnover ratio, which ranks 1st in the league.

St. Louis

The Rams appeared on the verge of turning things around after a promising 7-9 campaign a year ago. However, injuries and poor play on both sides of the ball have them in position to earn the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s draft. St. Louis (2-13, 1-6 home) could very well be looking ahead to next season rather than trying to beat the 49ers. They would get the No. 1 pick with a loss and a win by the Indianapolis Colts this weekend.

St. Louis is coming off a 27-0 shutout loss on the road to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Once again, they could not get anything going offensively, getting outgained 377-232 by a Steelers team playing without Ben Roethlisberger. Third-string quarterback Kellen Clemens went just 9 of 24 passing for 91 yards. Steven Jackson got on track with 103 rushing yards on 24 carries, but he was about the only bright spot for this team all day.

Head coach Steve Spagnuolo knows this could be his final game after going 10-37 in his three seasons on the job. While quarterback Sam Bradford wants to play, the Rams could ultimately choose to be cautious and rest him once again on Sunday. They certainly could use Bradford in there considering St. Louis has scored just 166 points all season, and no other team has put up fewer than 200. The Rams come in ranked 31st in total offense (281.7 yards/game) and 21st in total defense (360.9 yards/game), including dead last against the run (154.5 yards/game).

Betting Trends

The 49ers are 13-3 ATS in their last 16 games as a favorite, and 12-2-1 ATS in all games this season.

The Rams are 3-12-1 ATS in their last 16 games as an underdog, and 2-12-1 ATS in all games this season.

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