:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/4117289/156082848.0.jpg)
The 49ers are eight-point favorites over the St. Louis Rams. That spread comes in spite of the Rams being at home and these two teams ending a Week 10 tilt in a tie. Given the odds, I thought it was encouraging to see someone other than one of our TST faithful picking the Rams to win this week.
Peter Schrager over at Fox Sports, gives St. Louis the nod this week in what he predicts to be tightly played defensive struggle. Here's his take on how it happens:
San Francisco at St. Louis Rams: Though "Colin-sanity" will dominate headlines surrounding this matchup throughout the week, I love what the Rams got out of Janoris Jenkins and Chris Givens on Sunday. Two weeks ago, the young players were benched before the Rams' first meeting with the 49ers for disciplinary reasons. With media well aware, Jeff Fisher had both young men running the stairs of Candlestick Park like they were high school freshmen. No worries. Givens caught five balls for 115 yards and scored a touchdown, while Jenkins became the first NFL rookie to return two interceptions for touchdowns since 1960 in last week's 31-17 win over the Cardinals. Though they're hanging by a string, the Rams are still alive in the NFC playoff hunt. This one's my upset special. Give me Givens, Jenkins, and an inspired Rams team over their surging division rivals.
The Pick: Rams 20, 49ers 16
Home field has been an advantage for the Rams this season. The team is 3-2 inside the Edward Jones Dome (the home record is 3-3 if you throw in the London experiment, which we'll go ahead and discount as anything but a home game).
One thing that will certainly help the Rams this week is a raucous home crowd packed into the Dome. There are still plenty of St. Louis Rams tickets available, so ask Santa to bring you an early Xmas present.
Get your St. Louis Rams tickets here.