Los Angeles Rams vs. San Francisco 49ers 2019: Prediction ATS, Odds For Saturday NFC West Game

The Los Angeles Rams’ playoff hopes are hanging by a thread at the start of Week 16. By the time Sunday arrives, the reigning NFC champions will likely be officially eliminated from contention.

Earning the conference’s No.6 seed is Los Angeles’ only possible path to the playoffs with two weeks left in the 2019 NFL regular season. The Rams trail the Minnesota Vikings by two games in the wild-card standings. L.A. is three games behind both the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks in the NFC West.

The 49ers can personally end the Rams’ postseason chances in their quest to win the division when the two teams meet Saturday night.

San Francisco is a 6.5-point home favorite over Los Angeles, according to OddsShark. The total is 45.

The NFC West title likely will be determined by the Week 17 matchup between the 49ers and Seahawks, no matter what happens in Week 16. But San Francisco has plenty on the line with a playoff bye and home-field advantage until the Super Bowl in their sights.

Even though they technically enter Week 16 as the NFC’s No.5 seed, San Francisco has played better than anyone in the conference this season.

The 49ers are tied for the best record in the NFC, earning victories over both the 11-win Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints. San Francisco’s plus-161 point differential leads the NFC. The 49ers rank in the top-six in total yards, yards allowed, points scored and points allowed.

A 20-7 Week 6 win in Los Angeles is what first seemed to prove that San Francisco is a real contender. The 49ers dominated the Rams in L.A., holding them scoreless for the game’s final 54 minutes. Jared Goff threw for only 78 yards.

That’s when San Francisco’s defense was at its best, surrendering 23 total points over a four-game stretch.

The NFC’s top defense hasn’t been the same historic unit in recent weeks. San Francisco gave up 46 points to New Orleans in Week 14. The Atlanta Falcons beat the 49ers 29-22 in Week 15 at Levi’s Stadium, marching down the field with a game-winning drive in the final seconds of regulation.

Injuries have hit San Francisco hard. The 49ers played without five defensive starters against the Falcons. Defense end Dee Ford and cornerback Richard Sherman could be out until the playoffs. Defensive tackle D.J. Jones is on injured reserve.

Jaquiski Tartt and K'Waun Williams were also missing from San Francisco’s secondary.

And yet the defense was terrific for most of the game. The Falcons had 10 points until a touchdown with 5:15 left in the fourth quarter made it a one-possession game. Kyle Shanahan elected to kick a 43-yard field goal with 1:48 left instead of going for it on 4th-and-1 to potentially end the contest.

After the Falcons scored the game-winning touchdown with two seconds remaining, Atlanta returned a fumble for a touchdown as time expired.

It was an understandable letdown spot for the 49ers, coming off the biggest win that arguably any team has had this season. That won’t be the case Saturday with a chance to finish off their division rivals.

A high-powered offense might be able to take advantage of a somewhat vulnerable San Francisco defense. Los Angeles doesn’t fit that bill, considering the way they’ve underwhelmed all season long.

The Rams were just embarrassed by the Dallas Cowboys 44-21, scoring 14 of those points in garbage time. Los Angeles has struggled against even average defenses, looking nothing like the team that led the conference in scoring during Sean McVay’s first two years as a head coach.

Goff has 17 touchdown passes and 15 interceptions. He’s posted a sub-85.0 passer rating in 10 of the last 14 games, only finding success against teams like the Falcons, Cincinnati Bengals and Arizona Cardinals that can’t stop the pass. Goff had a 95.2 passer rating against a poor Seattle defense, though he was still picked off twice.

A healthy 49ers’ defense recently held Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers and Lamar Jackson to below-average passing games. Goff won’t be much better in San Francisco.

Jimmy Garoppolo’s breakout 349-yard, four-touchdown performance in New Orleans was only two weeks ago. He’s posted an average passer rating of 118.7 over the last five games. Along with the league’s No.2 rushing attack, the quarterback will make enough plays against a good but inconsistent Rams’ defense.

All three of the 49ers’ losses have been the result of the opposition recording game-winning scores in the final few seconds. The Rams have suffered three decisive losses to teams in the current playoff picture in just the last six weeks.

Prediction: San Francisco over Los Angeles, 24-17