After their offense went stagnant in Week 2 without one of their star performers, the San Francisco 49ers will look to recover Sunday when they visit their home away from home.
After a 23-17 road loss to the Minnesota Vikings, the 49ers (1-1) technically will stay on the road when they play the Los Angeles Rams at Inglewood, Calif. But the Rams’ home has been clad in plenty of red during recent seasons when San Francisco makes its annual visit.
San Francisco has won at Los Angeles in each of the past five seasons, although they lost on the Rams’ home turf in the 2022 NFC Championship Game. San Francisco had a nine-game winning streak against Los Angeles until the regular-season finale last season when the Rams won 21-20 as both teams rested starters in advance of the playoffs.
San Francisco running back Christian McCaffrey did not play in the final meeting last season and won’t be available for this one either while on injured reserve with a calf strain. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel is doubtful with his own calf issue and likely will miss the next two games.
Without two huge weapons on offense, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy and his NFL-best 550 yards passing through two games take center stage. His 72.3 completion percentage is eighth in the league, but he has just one touchdown pass.
“We’ve got the players. We’ve got the scheme. We’ve got what it takes,” Purdy said. “It’s dropping back and executing, knowing where my answers are and getting the balls in the guys’ hands, drop-stepping and getting first down. It’s football, man.”
Purdy threw his first interception Sunday after he had 11 last season, while earning Pro Bowl honors. He also lost a fumble, while the 49ers had a punt blocked.
“It was too sloppy on our part,” San Francisco head coach Mike Shanahan said. “… It was disappointing.”
The Rams (0-2) are dealing with their own injury issues. Wide receiver Puka Nacua (knee) was placed on injured reserve after Week 1 and wide receiver Cooper Kupp (ankle) is expected to miss extended time.
The Rams also have holes on the offensive line: Jonah Jackson (shoulder), Steve Avila (knee) and Joe Noteboom (ankle) are on IR. Even rookie kicker Joshua Karty (groin) is ailing.
Behind a makeshift line last week, even veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford looked rattled, and understandably so, as Los Angeles was never competitive in a 41-10 loss on the road to the Arizona Cardinals. Tackle Rob Havenstein (ankle) returned in Week 2 and tackle Alaric Jackson (suspension) is set to come back Sunday.
“The amount of moving parts that we’ve had offensive line-wise has been wild, and that’s such an important spot to be able to get a rapport with the guy that you’re playing next to,” Rams head coach Sean McVay said. “It starts with me, putting guys in better spots.”
On defense, the Rams already were up against it after the retirement of star defensive tackle Aaron Donald. The revamped group has struggled to an NFL-worst 426 yards allowed per game.
“It’s definitely a little different,” Shanahan said about not having to account for Donald. “That’s been 99 percent of our brain power for a number of years and it’s kind of weird just not thinking that way.”
Against the run, Los Angeles has allowed 197 yards per game, third worst in the NFL. The Rams recently placed safety John Johnson II (shoulder) on IR.
“Trust the process,” Stafford said. “… You can’t think about this scenario, that scenario, whatever it is. Just continue to work. We’ll have next-man-up mentality in some spots, get some people back as well and it’ll be a fun challenge for us.”
In addition to Kupp and Karty not participating in practice for the Rams on Wednesday, tight end Davis Allen (back) and cornerback Cobie Durant (toe) also were out.
Samuel was the only member of the 49ers who did not practice. Safety Talanoa Hufanga is approaching his season debut after ACL surgery in November.
