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Early preview: Rams at 49ers
By Joe Lyons
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_ef81b376-9bbd-55ad-b9bb-1e08727c1a2f.html
COMING THIS WEEK
With a shot at their first non-losing campaign since 2006, the Rams (7-8) look to close out the season with four consecutive wins when they take on the San Francisco 49ers (4-11) Sunday at Levi’s Stadium. Game time is 3:25 p.m. The Rams, coming off an impressive 23-17 win in Seattle, are training in Napa Valley this week.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Quarterback Blaine Gabbert. The former Parkway West High and University of Missouri standout is just 2-5 as a starter this season, but 49ers coach Jim Tomsula likes the way his 26-year-old QB has competed. In Sunday’s 32-17 loss in Detroit, Gabbert completed 22 of 33 passes for 225 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. His 106.2 passer rating was the third-best of his career.
The 6-foot-4, 235-pound Gabbert left Mizzou after his junior season and was drafted 10th overall by Jacksonville in 2011. As a rookie, he became the youngest QB in NFL history to start at least 13 games.
Taking over after Colin Kaepernick was sidelined for the season with a shoulder injury, Gabbert has made seven starts for the Niners, completing 63 percent of his passes for 1,677 yards with nine touchdowns and six interceptions. He also has a rushing TD.
HE SAID IT
“It was a tale of two halves,” Gabbert said after Sunday’s loss. “We started fast, put some points on the board and had a good first half. We just have to find a way to come out and execute better in the second half. It’s plain and simple. We’d been starting slow and finishing strong, and it was just the opposite today.”
San Francisco, which has lost three in a row and five of six, scored on two of its first three possessions Sunday to lead 14-10 in the second quarter. In the second half, the Lions controlled the ball and the clock while taking advantage of several 49er mistakes to post the win.
INJURIES
On Monday, Rams coach Jeff Fisher said the team’s players in the concussion protocol after Sunday’s game — LB/S Mark Barron, DT Nick Fairley and DE Ethan Westbrooks — were “all doing better.’’
Other than a back strain suffered by DE Quinton Dial, San Francisco came out of the loss in Detroit relatively healthy. RB Shaun Draughn (knee) and C Marcus Martin (concussion) did not play Sunday.
SERIES HISTORY
With an impressive 27-6 win Nov. 1 at the Edward Jones Dome, the Rams trimmed San Francisco’s overall lead to just one game at 65-64-3. Since the Rams’ move to St. Louis, the 49ers have gone 24-16-1 against their longtime rivals. The Rams limited San Francisco to 11 first downs and 189 offensive yards in the November game. The Rams’ Todd Gurley scored on a 71-yard run and rushed for 133 yards in his fourth NFL start.
By Joe Lyons
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_ef81b376-9bbd-55ad-b9bb-1e08727c1a2f.html
COMING THIS WEEK
With a shot at their first non-losing campaign since 2006, the Rams (7-8) look to close out the season with four consecutive wins when they take on the San Francisco 49ers (4-11) Sunday at Levi’s Stadium. Game time is 3:25 p.m. The Rams, coming off an impressive 23-17 win in Seattle, are training in Napa Valley this week.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Quarterback Blaine Gabbert. The former Parkway West High and University of Missouri standout is just 2-5 as a starter this season, but 49ers coach Jim Tomsula likes the way his 26-year-old QB has competed. In Sunday’s 32-17 loss in Detroit, Gabbert completed 22 of 33 passes for 225 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. His 106.2 passer rating was the third-best of his career.
The 6-foot-4, 235-pound Gabbert left Mizzou after his junior season and was drafted 10th overall by Jacksonville in 2011. As a rookie, he became the youngest QB in NFL history to start at least 13 games.
Taking over after Colin Kaepernick was sidelined for the season with a shoulder injury, Gabbert has made seven starts for the Niners, completing 63 percent of his passes for 1,677 yards with nine touchdowns and six interceptions. He also has a rushing TD.
HE SAID IT
“It was a tale of two halves,” Gabbert said after Sunday’s loss. “We started fast, put some points on the board and had a good first half. We just have to find a way to come out and execute better in the second half. It’s plain and simple. We’d been starting slow and finishing strong, and it was just the opposite today.”
San Francisco, which has lost three in a row and five of six, scored on two of its first three possessions Sunday to lead 14-10 in the second quarter. In the second half, the Lions controlled the ball and the clock while taking advantage of several 49er mistakes to post the win.
INJURIES
On Monday, Rams coach Jeff Fisher said the team’s players in the concussion protocol after Sunday’s game — LB/S Mark Barron, DT Nick Fairley and DE Ethan Westbrooks — were “all doing better.’’
Other than a back strain suffered by DE Quinton Dial, San Francisco came out of the loss in Detroit relatively healthy. RB Shaun Draughn (knee) and C Marcus Martin (concussion) did not play Sunday.
SERIES HISTORY
With an impressive 27-6 win Nov. 1 at the Edward Jones Dome, the Rams trimmed San Francisco’s overall lead to just one game at 65-64-3. Since the Rams’ move to St. Louis, the 49ers have gone 24-16-1 against their longtime rivals. The Rams limited San Francisco to 11 first downs and 189 offensive yards in the November game. The Rams’ Todd Gurley scored on a 71-yard run and rushed for 133 yards in his fourth NFL start.
