The Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers have evolved into one of the most heated and exciting rivalries in the NFL today.
Head coaches Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan — who came up together during their time with the Washington Commanders — brought innovative offenses to their respective teams and both have been at the forefront of exciting matchups in recent years. The 49ers have historically gotten the best of the Rams since both coaches assumed the helm, but Los Angeles finally got their revenge in the NFC Championship Game this past postseason on their way to winning the Super Bowl.
The players have fully embraced the rivalry, as evidenced by San Francisco defensive back Jimmie Ward saying he has no love for the Rams, via Tom Pelissero of NFL Network:
“It was heartbreaking,” Ward said. “At the end of the day, they figured it out, they were the better team that day and they won, but other than that, I’m ready to play ‘em. I don’t got no love for ‘em.”
Ward’s disdain for L.A. particularly comes from how they came off the field after losses:
“The only reason I said that, I keep everything on the field but I just remember when we won both of those games last year, I was looking at some of their main players, I was gonna shake their hands and all that, but they walk off the field. But when you finally win a game, you wanna shake our hands? All right, I got something for you,” he said, leaving the interview on that note.
Aaron Donald shares the same sentiments Ward has but about San Francisco, fueling the dislike between both teams. Each time these players go against one another there is some sort of scuffle or extracurricular activity, and it sounds like fans of both organizations should expect the same this year.
The Rams first play the 49ers in Week 4 on the road on Monday Night Football before hosting them in Week 8.
