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Rams coach Sean McVay and San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan know each other — and each other’s schematic and play-calling tendencies — better than perhaps any two coaches in the NFL.
Close games between the teams are a constant.
Since they first squared off in 2017, nearly half of their 18 matchups have been decided by three points or fewer, including the 49ers’ 26-23 overtime victory on Oct. 2 at SoFi Stadium.
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Gary Klein breaks down what you need to know for Sunday’s matchup between the Rams and San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
So expect another game that could come down to the final possession when the Rams play the 49ers in an NFC West game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
“Two good teams with two good staffs that are familiar with each other,” Rams tight end Tyler Higbee said in explaining the tight nature of the matchup, “and then you throw the rivalry part into it.”
McVay is 7-11 against Shanahan, his former mentor, though the Rams had won three in a row before the Week 5 loss that ended when 49ers star linebacker Fred Warner stopped Kyren Williams on a fourth-and-one play at the 49ers’ 11-yard line.
Rams kicker Joshua Karty missed a 53-yard field goal attempt and had an extra-point attempt blocked in the defeat.
The Rams this week moved to improve their season-long kicking-game issues by signing rookie kicker Harrison Mevis and veteran long snapper Jake McQuaide to the practice squad. Both will be elevated to the roster and play on Sunday.
Mevis, 23, made 89 of 106 field-goal attempts at Missouri, including one from 61 yards. In the United Football League this past season, he made 20 of 21 field-goal attempts.
The 49ers wasted no time addressing their own kicking-game issues.
After a season-opening defeat that included a missed field goal and a blocked kick, they released Jake Moody and signed Eddy Pineiro.
Pineiro has made all 19 of his field-goal attempts and 14 of 15 extra points.
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Key injuries
Rams: WR Puka Nacua (chest, will play); WR Jordan Whittington (back, questionable), CB Darious Williams (shoulder, will play).
49ers: QB Brock Purdy (toe, questionable); WR Ricky Pearsall (knee, out); DE Mykel Williams (knee, out); LB Tatum Bethune (thigh, questionable); LB Dee Winters (knee, questionable); G Ben Bartch (ankle, questionable); DT Alfred Collins (hip, questionable); DT Kalia Davis (ankle, questionable); DE Keion White (groin, questionable).
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How to watch and listen to Rams vs. 49ers
The Rams and San Francisco 49ers will play at 1:25 p.m. PST Sunday. The game will be shown on Fox throughout California and will be available nationally via a subscription to NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV. In Southern California, fans can listen to the game on 710 AM, 93.1 FM and 1330 AM (Español).
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Betting lines and odds for Rams vs. 49ers
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Who will win Rams vs. 49ers?
The Rams and Stafford will face a 49ers defense that will be without Warner, who suffered a season-ending ankle on Oct. 12. Shanahan no doubt will have another ball-control plan for quarterback Mac Jones but this time the Rams will outlast the 49ers. Rams 27, 49ers 24
Coach Sean McVay said the recently signed kicker out of Missouri has the job Sunday, but kicker Joshua is “not going anywhere” as he evaluates situation.
