San Francisco 49ers at Rams: Who has the edge?

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (1-1) at RAMS (0-2)

When: 1:25 p.m. Sunday

Where: SoFi Stadium

TV/Radio: Fox (Ch. 11)/710 AM; 93.1 FM; 1330 AM (Spanish); Sirius Ch. 227, 384

Line: 49ers by 7.5

Notable injury designations

49ers: OUT: WR Deebo Samuel (calf); DOUBTFUL: TE George Kittle (hamstring); QUESTIONABLE: DE Nick Bosa (rib), CB Charvarius Ward (hamstring/knee).

Rams: OUT: TE Davis Allen (back), WR Cooper Kupp (ankle); QUESTIONABLE: DT Bobby Brown III (ankle), CB Decobie Durant (toe), K Joshua Karty (groin).

What’s at stake? One of the last 129 teams to start the season 0-3 have made the playoffs. That’s it. Less than one percentage point. If the Rams want to keep some kind of hope of playing meaningful football late in this season and into January, they need to win Sunday or find themselves deep in a historic hole.

Who’s better? Both teams are plenty banged up by injury, but it’s the 49ers who still have premium players at left tackle (Trent Williams), receiver (Brandon Aiyuk), linebacker (Fred Warner), cornerback (Deommodore Lenoir) and defensive end (Nick Bosa). The edge goes to San Francisco with the deeper roster.

Matchup to watch: Bosa vs. Rams left tackle Alaric Jackson. Jackson is back off a two-game suspension, and none too soon for the Rams after three players tried to fill his cleats with varying levels of success the past two weeks. But it’s no soft opening for Jackson, as he faces Bosa and one of the most disruptive pass rushes in the NFL. If the Rams are going to win, they need QB Matthew Stafford to have time to operate in the pocket, and for RB Kyren Williams to have room to run. Jackson will have a chance to make a mark if he can win against Bosa.

Rams win if: Williams gets at least 20 carries and tops 100 yards rushing to take pressure off Stafford. … The Rams hold Aiyuk below 100 yards receiving, taking advantage of Samuel’s absence and putting an emphasis on stopping Aiyuk in the pass game. … The Rams defense holds the 49ers below 40% on third-down conversion attempts.

Fantasy sleeper: TE Colby Parkinson. With Kupp and Puka Nacua out, there will be a lot of questions about which receiver to pick up to fill their production. But Parkinson had the most preseason reps with Stafford outside of Demarcus Robinson and will be essential as a ball possession target to keep the chains moving.

Prediction: 49ers 28, Rams 21. Beat reporter’s record: 1-1 for the season; 1-1 against the spread.

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