LA Rams vs. 49ers: How to watch, game time, TV schedule, radio broadcast and more

The Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers continue a long-standing rivalry in Week 2 of the NFL season. The game kicks off Sunday, September 17 at 1:05 PST from the Rams home at SoFi Stadium. The series enters its 73rd season with the Niners leading 77-68-3 over the shared history.

In the six years (both hired in 2017) since Sean McVay took over in L.A. and Kyle Shanahan grabbed the reins in S.F., the ‘Niners have a 9-4 head-to head advantage with four points being the average margin of victory. In their only playoff meeting the Rams took the 2022 NFC Championship game 20-17 on their way to winning the Super Bowl.

Both teams opened the 2023 season with decisive wins on the road.

L.A. rode the big right arm of Matthew Stafford and a crude, but effective run game to clip the wings of the Seattle Seahawks 30-13. The Rams offense rolled to over 400 yards, converted 11 of 17 3rd down plays, and controlled nearly 40 minutes of clock. The bend-but-don’t break did just that in the 1st half and clamped down in the 2nd to hold the ‘Hawks to under 200 total offensive yards a paltry 3.9 yards per play.

In Week 1, the ’Niners jumped on their host Pittsburgh Steelers early and cruised to 30-7 win. San Francisco’s success begins with its strong defense, particularly up front, and they smothered the the Pitt passing offense with five sacks, nine quarterback hits, and two interceptions. Most the Steelers pass yards came after the game had been long decided. It was no different in the run game as S.F. made eight tackles for loss and allowed only 10 rushing attempts.

The Rams face the 2023 season’s first big challenge and stopping the run game is the first step to subduing the Red and Gold. L.A. has to protect off-tackle and outside runs better than last week and will need a team effort. It is imperative for Michael Hoecht, Byron Young, and Zach Van Valkenburg to set a strong edge and/or hold their contain. The linebackers will have to figure a way to to keep from getting engulfed in traffic and the secondary will have to fill in support.

Stopping the air attack is a two-sided sword, but nothing particularly original, wrap up and hold contain. One, when San Francisco does their short pass thing, L.A. has to tackle. They missed 10 vs. Seattle and doing the same this week would be disastrous. Two, it’s a soft shell defense, stop the the big play! In the last five meetings, the ‘Niners have scored six 30 yard+ touchdowns on offense, usually lulling the Rams with short plays and then throwing over the top when the safeties bite down underneath.

Point spreads and narratives about who is the better team are out the window. Expect a tough, exciting game between two long-time rivals. One of the reasons the NFL wanted a team in L.A. so badly was to rekindle a West Coast rivalry. After seven years and 13 tense games, the NFL has achieved it. Here’s how to watch this installment.

How to follow the game

Date: Sunday, September 17

Kickoff: 1:05 p.m. PST

Location: SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Ca.

Watch it live: Regionally on Fox

Live stream: A host of streaming services including LA Rams Mobile App, NFL+, ESPN+, fuboTV, DirecTV Stream, Hulu Live TV, Sling TV, and You Tube TV

Listen: ESPNLA 710 AM, KWKW 1330 AM, JACK 93.1 FM

ESPNLA’s affiliate radio stations:

• KMET/1490 AM & 98.1 FM - Banning, CA
• KFIG/1430 AM & 790 FM – Fresno, CA
• KAVL/610 AM & 106.7 FM – Lancaster, CA
• KRHQ/102.3 AM - Palm Springs, CA
• KTIE/590 AM – Riverside, CA
• KGB/760 AM – San Diego, CA
• KXTK/1280 AM & 101.7 FM – San Luis Obispo, CA
• KSMA/1240 AM & 99.5 FM - Santa Maria, CA

En Español: Tu Liga Radio 1330 AM

Tu Liga Radio’s affiliate radio stations:

• KTMZ/1220 AM – Pomona, CA
• KCAL/1410 AM – San Bernardino and Riverside, CA
• KOXR 910 AM – Oxnard and Ventura, CA

Current betting odds @ DraftKings Sportsbook

Line: Rams +7.5 -118 / 49ers -7.5 -102

Over/under total: 45.5 -110

Money line: Rams +260 / 49ers -325