San Francisco 49ers vs. Los Angeles Rams Total Prediction

NFC Championship Playoff Preview

Date/Time: Sunday January 30th, 2022. 6:30PM (EST)

Where: SoFi Stadium Inglewood, CA

TV: FOX

Betting Odds:

Point Spread:SF +3.5/LAR -3.5

Total: 46.5

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The San Francisco 49ers have been the Cinderella Story of this year’s NFL playoffs. The 49ers have parlayed their #6 seed in the playoff, secured in the season finale, into wins over the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers, who many considered to be the favorites in the NFC. Now, the 49ers will meet their NFC West rival in the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game when both teams collide at SoFi Stadium this Sunday. San Francisco has already beaten the Rams in both of their prior meetings this season, including that clutch 27-24 overtime victory in the season finale. The 49ers will look for the Hat Trick on Sunday with a trip to Super Bowl LVI hanging in the balance.

The betting line for this week’s NFC Championship nearly mirrors the odds from the prior week 18 showdown. In that contest, the Rams were favored by 3.5 points with a 46.5 betting total. In the week 18 meeting, San Francisco QB Jimmy Garapollo hit Jauan Jennings for a 14-yard touchdown pass with just 18 seconds to go, which pushed the game to overtime and helped eclipse the 46.5 betting total. Needless to say, the 49ers needed a come-from-behind effort to win their 2nd straight over the Rams with some late-game magic. On Sunday, I believe the 49ers are once again live for the upset, but I would put a heavier focus on the way they can capture that victory which will likely be supported by the surging play of the 49ers defense!

San Francisco 49ers vs. Los Angeles Rams Total Trends

• The 49ers have hit the “under” in six of the last seven games
• The 49ers have also hit the “under” in 8 of the last 12 games in January
• The 49ers have hit the “under” in five of their last seven games against NFC opponents
• The 49ers have hit the “under” in four of the last five games on the road
• The Rams have split the last ten games between the over/under (5-5 O/U)
• The Rams have hit the “under” in five of the last six games at home
• The Rams have hit the “under” in four of the last six games against NFC West opponents
• The “under” has cashed in four of the last six games between the 49ers and Rams

More Picks: Get The money with Loot’s 49ers vs. Rams Pick Against the Spread >>>

49ers defense key to NFC Championship

The reason I believe San Francisco has a great chance to pull off a rare three-game sweep is because their defense is playing really strong football. In frigid temps on the Frozen Tundra in Green Bay, the 49ers held Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers to just 10 points in the 13-10 victory. In fact, the 49ers did not even get any help from the offense in the showdown. QB Jimmy Garropolo remained inconsistent, hitting just 11 of 19 passing for 131 yards with a touchdown. Meanwhile, San Francisco’s running game could only muster 106 rushing yards on 29 attempts. The 49ers’ playoff chances were kept alive by a Hail Mary blocked punt in the 4th quarter, which completely changed the momentum.

For this NFC Championship Game, the 49ers offense will be tasked with the difficult challenge of going against the Rams defense that is playing really well. The Rams basically shut down QB Kyler Murray in the NFC Wild Card Round and made things very difficult for the GOAT in Tom Brady last week before the Bucs managed a late-game rally. This Rams defense has the talent in the secondary and pass rush to match up comfortably with San Francisco’s offense which has basically been a one-dimensional running threat. While the Rams’ defense has a great match-up, I am not ready to write off the 49ers in this game either because their defense is also playing extremely well. I mentioned the success San Francisco had against the Packers last week, and I would also point out the 49ers’ defense shut down Dallas and rattled Rams QB Matthew Stafford in the week 18 meeting. Stafford has played well in the playoffs, but he is still a shaky liability. Despite being the better team, I believe this is a bad match-up for the Rams just in how these two teams match up stylistically, which has been evident in the prior two meetings.

Ultimately, between both match-ups on each side of the football, I believe both defenses have a significant advantage that cannot be undermined. Everyone expects fireworks in the playoffs, and admittedly the NFC Championship has produced some tremendous offensive match-ups in the last few years. However, I firmly believe this Sunday’s match-up will provide a different narrative. The 49ers’ offense will put heavy emphasis on the ground game while attempting to grind out a controlled pace. Whether or not that strategy is successful remains to be seen. However, I do believe the 49ers’ defense will rise to the occasion once again to keep this game very close throughout the full 60 minutes.

Jay’s Pick: Under 46.5. Bet your NFL playoffs picks for FREE this weekend by taking advantage of a 100% REAL CASH bonus on your first deposit up to $1000 at Betnow Sportsbook!