Steve Starr
- The San Francisco 49ers (3-4) are 1-point road favorites over the Los Angeles Rams (3-3)
- Sean McVay is just 4-8 all-time against Kyle Shanahan but defeated his former mentor in the 2022 NFC Championship Game
- The Week 8 game on FOX kicks off from SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Sunday, October 30 at 4:25pm ET
San Francisco obliterated the Rams 24-9 in Week 4, but have stumbled of late with consecutive losses against the Falcons and Chiefs. Meanwhile, their division rivals are coming off a Week 7 bye. Will the extra rest give Sean McVay’s club the edge in the rematch or will Kyle Shanahan continue to own his former protege in the regular season?
Before we check the odds on the NFC West rivalry game, here’s where you can find the best Super Bowl betting tips and the top betting sites for NFL football in 2022.
Rams vs 49ers
 | Spread | Money Line | Total Points |
| San Francisco 49ers | -1.0 (-122) | -130 | Ov 43 (-110) |
| Los Angeles Rams | +1.0 (+102) | +110 | Un 43 (-110) |
Shanahan vs McVay
While Kyle Shanahan has an 8-4 career record against Sean McVay, his former protege is definitely in his head. McVay’s Rams stole Matthew Stafford from the 49ers’ clutches two offseasons ago. They then went on to capture Super Bowl 56 after defeating San Francisco in the NFC Championship Game.
Perhaps fearing Christian McCaffrey would end up in sunny California with McVay, Shanahan and general manager John Lynch went all in last week, sending second-, third- and fourth-round picks in 2023 and a fifth-round pick in 2024 to Carolina for the oft-injured running back.
Mike Shanahan was Ed McCaffrey's head coach in Denver
Nearly 20 years after Mike and Ed's final season together, Kyle Shanahan will now be Christian McCaffrey's head coach
A true full-circle moment 🙌 pic.twitter.com/epbrn0nKho
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) October 21, 2022
CMC quiet in debut
Christian McCaffrey looked good in limited action on Sunday, racking up 62 yards on 10 touches. Pairing CMC with studs such as Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle sure looks good on paper. But, the question is how much can a star running back really move the needle for a Niners team naturally limited by its quarterback?
Jimmy Garappolo was sacked five times in a 44-23 loss to Kansas City in Week 7, taking a game-sealing safety and throwing a critical interception in the end zone late in the second quarter.
Rams vs 49ers
Los Angeles is a 1-point home underdog to San Francisco and the game total is at just 43 points. The Rams offense has looked anemic under the spotlight all season, scoring 10 or fewer points in games against the Bills, 49ers and Cowboys. DeMeco Ryan’s defense locked up Matthew Stafford in the first meeting, but the bloom is off his rose after Patrick Mahomes lit the Niners D up for 423 passing yards and three scores on Sunday.
With Cam Akers on the outs in Hollywood, look for general manager Les Snead to acquire a new starting running back via trade over the next week. Perhaps in time for Sunday’s game with their NFC West rivals.
Cam Akers reportedly has 'philosophical and football-related differences with head coach Sean McVay'. 😬 https://t.co/9WDUPN4AXn pic.twitter.com/FwOScSZ3LN
— theScore (@theScore) October 16, 2022
Best Bet
This looks like a good spot for Los Angeles. San Francisco is reeling after two-straight losses and the full playbook still won’t be available for McCaffrey on Sunday. Meanwhile, McVay should have plenty of new wrinkles installed coming off a bye week.
While we don’t expect a lot of points, we think Aaron Donald and the defense comes to play in a hard-nosed Rams victory.
Final Score Prediction: Rams 21, 49ers 20
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