After a thrilling win over the Buffalo Bills in Week 14, the Los Angeles Rams have a quick turnaround for their Thursday Night Football game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium.
At 7-6, the Rams could really put their stamp on a playoff appearance if they are able to defeat the 49ers. However, the game is just as important for San Francisco, who would get back to .500 with a win over L.A.
“There’s a familiarity if that makes any sense, but it’s a great challenge,” head coach Sean McVay said when asked how difficult it is to prepare for a division opponent on a short week.
“They know us. We know them. There are some different things. We’ll really dive into the prep pretty deeply after we finish up and some of the coaches have done a good job of getting ahead on some things. It’s a little bit more challenging just in terms of my rhythm and routine. I’ll tell you what, you like the Thursday games after you get through it. It’s a good grind all the way up to it.
“On a positive, guys established some good momentum, some things that we can certainly learn from, and these are the opportunities that you love in the NFL. I don’t know if it makes it easier or worse, but there is a familiarity and this is the next game on our schedule so here we go.”
Rams not taking injury-depleted 49ers lightly
The Rams defeated the 49ers in their first matchup of the season, but will be facing a very different looking team this time around.
The 49ers have lost star players Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk and Javon Hargrave to injury in recent weeks. They could be even more short-handed against the Rams as Trent Williams, Nick Bosa and Isaac Guerendo are all listed as questionable.
Meanwhile, Dre Greenlaw is slated to miss another game after some initial optimism he would make his 2024 debut against the Rams.
“Well, I saw they certainly had a very dominant performance yesterday. If there’s anything that you do know, it’s a week-to-week league,” McVay said of the injury-depleted 49ers.
“Humility is only a week away. They have excellent coaches, excellent personnel and really good schemes. No matter what’s really happened in terms of the trajectory of the injuries, they’re going to be ready to go and we’re going to do our best to get our guys ready to roll and it’s going to be a great challenge and opportunity.
“I think the familiarity [not] only gives that much more respect knowing what they’ve done, but what they’re capable of as well. We’re excited about the challenge.”
