SAN FRANCISCO vs. ST. LOUIS Stats, Trends and Info

[TheGame]

SAN FRANCISCO (1 - 2) at ST LOUIS (1 - 2) - 9/26/2013, 8:25 PM

Top Trends for this game.
SAN FRANCISCO is 19-35 ATS (-19.5 Units) in a road game where the total is between 38.5 and 42 points since 1992.
ST LOUIS is 129-165 ATS (-52.5 Units) in all games since 1992.
ST LOUIS is 129-165 ATS (-52.5 Units) in all lined games since 1992.
ST LOUIS is 94-129 ATS (-47.9 Units) against conference opponents since 1992.
ST LOUIS is 23-40 ATS (-21.0 Units) in September games since 1992.

Head-to-Head Series History
ST LOUIS is 3-1 against the spread versus SAN FRANCISCO over the last 3 seasons
SAN FRANCISCO is 2-1 straight up against ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons


SAN FRANCISCO vs. ST. LOUIS
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of San Francisco's last 7 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Francisco's last 6 games on the road
St. Louis is 2-7-1 SU in its last 10 games ,when playing San Francisco
The total has gone OVER in 4 of St. Louis's last 6 games when playing San Francisco

[TheGame]

NFL Week 4

49ers (1-2) @ Rams (1-2) — Both sides desperate after losing last two games; Rams looked lost in falling behind 21-0/24-0 in games at Atlanta/Dallas, after they rallied back from down 11 to nip Arizona in opener. 49ers scored one TD on 21 drives in last two games, with ten 3/outs, completing 26-55 passes in losses by 26-20 points- they’re 3-7 vs spread in last 10 divisional games, 4-0 as favorite of 3 or less points under Harbaugh. Rams are 10-5 as underdogs under Fisher, but 0-2 this year; they went 1-0-1 SU vs 49ers LY, after going 1-7 in previous eight series games, but SF has lost two of last three visits here. Home teams in divisional games are 11-4 vs spread so far this season. Rams are protecting Bradford better but WRs are not making plays and running game (57 ypg) has been non-existent. Long trip on short week for 49er team whose two best defensive players are either missing: Smith (alcohol rehab), or banged-up: Willis (wrist).

[TheGame]

Thursday Night Football betting: 49ers at Rams

San Francisco 49ers at St. Louis Rams (+3, 41.5)

Less than eight months removed from a Super Bowl appearance, the San Francisco 49ers are immersed in controversy on and off the field heading into Thursday night's matchup at the St. Louis Rams. San Francisco has dropped two straight, including a stunning 27-7 defeat at home to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. No team played the 49ers tougher last season than the AFC West rival Rams, who battled to a 24-24 tie in San Francisco and beat them in overtime in St. Louis.

The 49ers' issues go beyond back-to-back inept performances - the team is under siege for allowing sack specialist Aldon Smith to play in Sunday's game only two days after he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. Smith, who has a history of off-field issues, will enter a rehab facility to receive treatment and will miss Thursday's game. St. Louis is seeking a bounce-back effort after it was demolished by the Dallas Cowboys 31-7.

TV: 8:25 p.m. ET, NFL Network.

LINE: The 49ers opened as a 3.5-point road favorites and have been bet down to -3. The total opened as high as 43.5 and has been moved down to 41.5.

WEATHER: N/A

COVERS POWER RANKINGS: 49ers (-2.5) + Rams (+5.0) + home field (-3.0) = St. Louis +4.5

ABOUT THE 49ERS (1-2, 1-2 ATS): Losing in Seattle in Week 2 wasn't a surprise for San Francisco, but getting bulldozed by the Colts on both sides of the ball sent shock waves through the league. Colin Kaepernick turned in a breathtaking performance by throwing for 412 yards in the season opener but has tossed four interceptions and been limited to a combined 277 yards while leading the 49ers to only 10 points in the past two weeks. The absence of tight end Vernon Davis (hamstring) hurt versus the Colts, while the normally stout defense saw All-Pro linebacker Patrick Willis exit Sunday's game with a groin injury.

ABOUT THE RAMS (1-2, 0-3 ATS): St. Louis posted a gritty comeback victory over Arizona in its season opener but has fallen behind by at least 21 points in back-to-back road losses to Atlanta and Dallas. Quarterback Sam Bradford threw for a season-low 240 yards and was sacked six times against the Cowboys while receiving little help from a ground game that saw starting running back Daryl Richardson play only one snap due to a foot injury. Rookie wideout Tavon Austin, the team's first-round draft pick, has six receptions in each of the first three games but is averaging only 6.6 yards per catch.

TRENDS:

* Home team is 4-1 ATS in their last five meetings.
* Under is 5-2 in the last seven meetings in St. Louis..
* 49ers are 1-5 ATS in their last six meetings.
* Rams are 7-1 ATS in their last eight vs. NFC West.

EXTRA POINTS:

1. Kaepernick made his third career start at St. Louis last season and had a safety and lost a fumble that was returned for a TD.

2. The Rams tied for the lead league with 52 sacks last season, but have only seven through the first three games.

3. LB Smith was second in the league with 19.5 sacks in 2012 and has registered 37 in 35 games.

[TheGame]

Rams, 49ers look to snap losing skids Thursday night
by Zach Cohen

Kickoff: Thursday, 8:25 p.m. ET
Line: San Francisco -3, Total: 42

Both the Rams and 49ers are looking to get back into the win column following two straight defeats when the two NFC West foes collide at the Edward Jones Dome on Thursday night.

St. Louis is coming off of an embarrassing 31-7 loss against the Cowboys while the 49ers were crushed 27-7 at home by the double-digit underdog Colts on Sunday. Last season, these teams had some very interesting battles as they tied their first meeting in San Francisco 24-24 in November. The teams then played again in St. Louis in December where the Rams came away with a 16-13 victory in overtime. St. Louis QB Sam Bradford was solid against the 49ers defense last year, passing for 496 yards and two touchdowns while throwing no interceptions in the two games. St. Louis is 3-1 ATS over the 49ers in the past three seasons and they are 2-0 ATS when playing at home in that span. This season, however, both teams have struggled ATS. The Rams have opened the season 0-3 ATS while the 49ers are 1-2 ATS. St. Louis is 4-17 ATS after gaining 75 or less rushing yards in two straight games since 1992, but San Francisco happens to be 30-14 ATS when coming off an upset loss in that same period.

San Francisco opened the season with a dominant offensive performance in a 34-28 win over the Packers, but has done very little since then. The team has scored a combined 10 points over its past two games, due largely to the awful play of QB Colin Kaepernick. In the two defeats, he has completed just 26-of-55 passes (47%) for 277 yards (5.0 YPA), 0 TD, 4 INT and two lost fumbles. He has looked lost on the field without the help of any of his playmaking receivers. Star TE Vernon Davis didn’t play last week because of an injured hamstring and is questionable for Thursday's game. The 49ers are also going to need WR Anquan Boldin to step up, as he has just six receptions for 74 yards in the two games since his 13-reception, 208-yard performance against the Packers. San Francisco’s defense has struggled as well this season and will need to find a way to account for the loss of DE Aldon Smith (19.5 sacks in 2012), who is out indefinitely after checking himself into rehab for a substance abuse issue. The Niners defense has allowed 351 rushing yards (4.1 YPC) over the past two weeks, but has held those same opponents to a mere 5.98 passing yards per attempt.

St. Louis is also coming off a game to forget in which it lost 31-7 to the Cowboys. The Rams defense, which is usually not a concern, allowed Dallas RB DeMarco Murray to run for 175 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries. Their pass defense wasn’t much better as they were able to sack Tony Romo only once as he went 17-of-24 with 210 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. On offense, St. Louis QB Sam Bradford did everything he could in the game going 29-of-48 for 240 yards with 1 TD and 0 INT, but his offensive line failed him, allowing him to get sacked six times for a loss of 43 yards. The Rams receivers also did little to help their quarterback as they dropped plenty of catchable passes while failing to make plays on the rare occasion they did have the ball in their hands. The loss of RB Daryl Richardson to a foot injury hurt the Rams offense as they rushed for just 35 yards on 12 carries, failing to top 70 rushing yards for the third straight game. Richardson is questionable for Thursday's game, and if he can't go, Isaiah Pead will get the bulk of the carries. Pead has just 21 yards on seven carries this season, but he has 61 receiving yards on nine catches in his two games. The Rams will need to be more efficient in the run game if they are going to make Sam Bradford’s job any easier.

[TheMule]

LB Patrick Willis is OUT, Stl. RB I. Pead is out and RB D. Richardson will give it a go this week, but who knows for how long... bad foot. Richardson left after one run last week vs. the Cowboys.

[Rudy]

People seem focused on the SF dysfunction issues, and seem content to expect a major rebound effort by the Niners this week, esp getting VD back. Less focused upon are the eminently curable problems affecting the Rams -- lousy pass protection schemes and dropped passes. Fischer is less deified than Harbaugh in ability to right the ship, but it is notable that STL has the far superior ATS record lately -- mirror images.