49ers Pass Rush vs. Rams Protection Will Determine NFC Champ
This game will come down to time. Can the Rams give Matthew Stafford enough of it? If L.A.’s protection can hold off the 49ers’ pass rush, they have the advantage at receiver against San Francisco’s secondary. If not, this game will look a lot like the last two between these teams (both 49er wins).
Sean McVay has shown the ability in his 5 years with the Rams to consistently break down zone coverage, which should come in handy on Sunday since the 49ers are a predominant zone-coverage team. He does a good job of designing and calling play concepts that isolate Rams receivers on linebackers inside. The below play was a great example.
This was a 2nd down from Week 18 against the 49ers. San Francisco matched up to the Rams’ 11 personnel (1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WRs) with nickel personnel, leaving two linebackers on the field. They would end up playing quarters coverage, a common look out of their defense:
To the back side, the Rams had the X-receiver run his route with a vertical stem that split the cornerback and safety to his side, occupying both. The running back released to the flat, taking the linebacker to that side with him:
To the front side, the Rams worked middle linebacker Fred Warner with a high-low combination:
With Warner in conflict, he was a couple of steps too slow to respond to Cooper Kupp’s in-breaking route. And with the backside occupied, Kupp was wide open in the middle of the field:
That’s how you defeat any zone coverage; remove potential help defenders and attack one player with two routes.
From the end zone angle, you can see another element of L.A.’s game plan that they’ll need to utilize again on Sunday. Both the running back and tight end chipped the 49ers’ edge rushers:
The Rams do this often to try and get the benefit of 5 receivers running routes while also providing some initial relief for the protection off the edge at the snap. You can see another example from their Week 18 game below: