Rams vs. 49ers Betting Preview: Point Spread Pick and Prediction

Los Angeles Rams (7-6 SU, 6-7 ATS) vs. San Francisco 49ers (6-7 SU, 5-8 ATS)

NFL Football Week 15

Date/Time: Thursday Night Football, December 15, 2024 at 8:15 PM EST

Where: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California

TV: Prime Video

The Los Angeles Rams make the trip up north to Levi’s Stadium for a Thursday Night Football showdown with the San Francisco 49ers. This is a big NFC West battle in a division where things are still up for grabs, with the margin of error shrinking, especially for the defending conference champion 49ers. At 6-7 and with Seattle winning and creating a little buffer now at 8-5, San Fran has seen their margin shrink to nothing. A 38-13 win over the Bears on Sunday did restore some order, as the Niners look to close strongly. The Rams are in the thick of it at 7-6, coming off a nice 44-42 win over the Bills on Sunday in a big victory. Can they keep it going on the road this week, or will the Niners see some desperation kick in?

How Each Team Looks

The Rams have been up-and-down, but Sunday’s big win over Buffalo was their second in a row and their sixth win in eight games. They have most if not all of their pieces healthy on offense, something that hasn’t been the case most of the time this season. QB Matthew Stafford really has a lot of weaponry at his avail, with Puka Nacua coming off a giant game on Sunday, while RB Kyren Williams was big on the day with a pair of TD runs. And while we saw what can happen against the Rams’ defense when taking on an offense like Buffalo’s, with 42 points allowed, when this Rams’ offense is in good form, they can hang with anybody.

The optimism is slightly more muted when we turn our attention to the 49ers. Sunday was big for them. It allowed them to end a skid, it saw the offense start getting some things done, and it was the kind of good overall team effort that the 49ers have found so elusive in 2024. Still, it was against a Bears team that has started to glitch out heading down the final stretch of games, and with three losses leading up to that spot, it’s not as easy to get excited. Whereas the Rams hung in there and beat Buffalo last week, the week before, the Niners were blown away by the Bills, putting up almost no resistance. Last week was a nice development. QB Brock Purdy looked really good. The endless supply of backs continues to produce, with Isaac Guerendo looking good as he takes over an injury-depleted Niners backfield. George Kittle and Jauan Jennings had big days, and the defense did its share of the heavy lifting, getting after Caleb Williams and sacking him six times. They’re going to need more of this if they stand a chance.

First Time Around

Frankly, a week 3 win at SoFi for the Rams, 27-24, might not figure too heavily into things now. A lot has gone down since week three. Injuries across different areas likely have the Niners a reduced version of that team. Still, Brock Purdy was effective against this Rams’ defense. Some might remember that was the really big three-touchdown day for Jauan Jennings. Most notable to me in that mess is that the Rams were without both Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp, still doing enough to get by with what was left aerially, in addition to the standout work of back Kyren Williams.

Angles for Each Squad

Between coach Shanahan looking at what the Bills did to the Rams last week, in addition to the offensive success the Niners had the first time around, I’m not sure he doesn’t have the right to have some optimism. Last week was big for the Niners just to see the offense operating well following a number of weeks where it was a struggle. And while they’re still missing people and the injuries have begun piling up, seeing them operate at close to a level of full functionality is a positive development, even if the context in which they did it is assailable.

The Rams could be licking their chops this week, knowing they were able to beat the Niners without their best stuff earlier in the season. The season has been wild for the Rams and while they were tough to open the season, they weren’t getting wins. This latest run they are on now, with six wins in their last 8, has them above .500—no small task when you start off at 1-4. The Niners have been a thorn in their sides for years, and if they can give their playoff hopes a big boost while putting a dagger in their rivals’ hopes, it should lead to some high motivation this week for the Rams.

Still, even when the analysis shakes out well for the Rams in certain regards, there is this general feeling that their defense is being held together by duct tape and due to come apart at any moment. They’ve done a great job making the most of what they have. But between what we saw last week with the Rams’ defense getting picked apart in spots with six Josh Allen touchdowns, in addition to the newfound explosiveness the Niners finally started to showcase, it could be an issue.

Take the Points

I can wholly understand the urge of opting for a Niners team that is desperate. But waiting for them to snap back into anything resembling the form of their conference-winning season of 2023 has come at a cost this year. Whether it’s the injuries, the dip in form of a few key players, or just a different wrinkle in the recipe, it just didn’t happen for the 49ers this season the way they wanted. I think against a competent Rams team that now has their offense in good form, the Niners might be up against it this week. I’ll take the Rams and the points.

Loot’s Prediction to Cover the Point Spread:

I’m betting on the Los Angeles Rams plus 2 points.