The San Francisco 49ers are 2.5-point underdogs against the Los Angeles Rams to open the season.
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“Although Goff will probably get a chance to play or at least be on the bench during the game against the Seattle Seahawks, there’s a chance that the Rams might decide to let him go if he doesn’t meet their expectations”. Rams rookie quarterback Jared Goff will be inactive for week one after head coach Jeff Fisher named Sean Mannion the back up to starter Case Keenum. However, they did manage to win three of their last four contests, which lends hope for a promising 2016.
49ers fans will have to wait and see a year from now what the question mark about Chip Kelly turns into. The series was split in 2015 with each team claiming victory at home.
Player to watch: DT Aaron Donald is the best young defensive tackle in the National Football League, with 20 sacks in his first two seasons. So, it stands to reason that he should be a focal point in tonight’s matchup.
Last season, the 49ers faced running back Todd Gurley once. In that game, he totaled 146 yards, scored a touchdown and averaged 6.7 yards per carry. Star quarterback Colin Kaepernick went from being one of the brightest stars of the future to being on the verge of getting cut, and their record on the road last season was a tragic 1-7. Chip Kelly coaches first game with San Francisco. But it will be a tall order for a young 49ers defense that did little to improve itself in the offseason. For the most part, the nay-sayers were proven right as Kelly’s offense sputtered and played a big role in his firing in Philadelphia.
Therein lies the ultimate rub. Kelly should be able to run as much as he wants. He has a slow-footed quarterback in Blaine Gabbert.
Rookie honors should go to Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliot as Offensive Rookie of the Year with the defensive award going to Jacksonville Jaguars defensive back Jalen Ramsey.
With Blaine Gabbert starting, he’s going to look for his favorite receiver in Torrey Smith. Also, San Francisco will be working through a learning curve with the new coach and his new systems.
On offense, Los Angeles faces one of the worst defenses in the league from a year ago, but the Rams are no offensive powerhouse.
Neither team possesses a high-powered offense that is capable of consistently finding the end zone. “Once you win, people like to latch onto a victor”, he says. There were a total of nine field goals attempted when these teams faced off last January. That was his best game of the season.
“It’s going to be great”, he said of starting the first game for the Rams in their new Los Angeles era. He was drafted in the seventh round, No. 250 overall, in 2015 – just six picks ahead of Mr. For comparison’s sake, the always-consistent Dawson connected on 89 percent of his kicks, missing just three all year.
Los Angeles’ Todd Gurley quickly established himself as one of the NFL’s most risky runners as a rookie when he rushed for 1,106 yards and 10 touchdowns in 13 games on the way to winning the 2015 offensive rookie of the year award.
Goff joins the likes of Todd Gurley, Tavon Austin, Robert Quinn, Aaron Donald and Alec Ogletree. The 49ers’ offensive line allowed 53 sacks last season, the second most in the NFL. The team shelled out a second-round pick to the New England Patriots for pass rusher Chandler Jones, upgrading the defensive line to eliminate possibly this team’s biggest weakness.
Norman also gushed about his respect for Roethlisberger, who has thrown for 42,995 yards and 272 touchdowns in his career. “I just pick his brain and ask him as much as I can, and get to know as much as I can before my number is called, so I can be ready”.
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“You can’t wait until the day before the game to start hydrating”, Johnson said. But the one true difference-maker in this game is Gurley. They’ll be tough because of Gurley and their defense, but not enough scoring in the end.
