Winning is the only thing as Rams play out the string

Rams players got a short history lesson this week when interim Coach John Fassel explained some of the narrative surrounding the Los Angeles franchise’s rivalry with the San Francisco 49ers.

The Rams will wear a part of that tradition when they don throwback uniforms for Saturday’s game at the Coliseum.

But there are few, if any, other earmarks of the days when the Rams and 49ers battled for supremacy in the NFC West.

The Rams are 4-10 in their return to Los Angeles. The 49ers are 1-13.

If nothing else, say this for the matchup: It can’t get much worse.

Statistically, anyway.

The Rams, losers of nine of their last 10 games, sport the NFL’s worst offense, a designation they are on track to achieve for the second year in a row.

The 49ers, losers of 13 consecutive games, arrive with the NFL’s worst defense.

Their only victory was a 28-0 win over the Rams in the season opener.

“It’s definitely not tough to forget,” Rams running back Todd Gurley said of the blowout. “It was definitely an embarrassing game.

“Just one of those games nothing was going well. We’re definitely looking forward to” the rematch.

Perhaps no one more than Rams quarterback Jared Goff.

The No. 1 pick in the draft grew up in Northern California and wears No. 16 in tribute to Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana, who led the 49ers to four Super Bowl titles.

On Sept. 12, Goff was inactive and on the sideline in street clothes for the Monday night opener at Levi’s Stadium. He said at the time that he would have plenty of opportunities to play against his hometown team.

The first one is here.

“Growing up a fan makes it a little bit significant, but it’s just another game to us,” he said this week. “One that we should go out there and play well and, hopefully, come away with a ‘W.’

“If we do what we should do, we should get a ‘W.’”

The Rams have not won any of Goff’s five starts.

They came close in his debut against Miami at the Coliseum, but fell apart in the final six minutes.

Two weeks ago against Atlanta, they were booed throughout a 42-14 loss that turned out to be Jeff Fisher’s final game as the Rams’ coach.

Last week at Seattle, the Rams lost 24-3 and Goff ended up in concussion protocol after he was hit by cornerback Richard Sherman while scrambling toward the end zone.

Goff was cleared late this week and said he has learned his lesson about self-preservation.

Now he faces a 49ers team decimated by injuries. Seventeen players are on injured reserve, and seven landed there after the 49ers fell to 1-12.

“It’s going to be a little bit of a challenge in their personnel, because they do have so many guys injured,” Goff said. “So it’s going to be a little bit different.

“Going out there, we’re not really sure exactly who is going to be rotating in and whatnot because they have some new guys.”

It might not make much of a difference for the 49ers. They are giving up 424.9 yards and 31 points a game.

Then again, the Rams average only 278.8 yards and a lowly 14.1 points a game. They have scored only five touchdowns in five games at the Coliseum this season.

After the loss at Seattle, several Rams players said they would remain motivated for pride and job security.

Whoever is hired as the new coach will no doubt evaluate how players responded to adversity.

The Rams, who play the Arizona Cardinals at the Coliseum in next week’s finale, have two more opportunities.

“A lot of guys know what they need to do,” Gurley said. “We know a lot of guys are playing for jobs.

“We just want to go out there and not lay down, and just try to get these wins for sure.”

gary.klein@latimes.com

Twitter: @LATimesklein