The San Francisco 49ers need a win. Not just for their playoff hopes, but for head coach Kyle Shanahan’s employment prospects.
Shanahan spent the last two weeks getting pulled through the wringer. The man who led the Niners to a Super Bowl less than two years ago has gotten dragged for everything from his bizarre roster management to his regular season struggles (.444 win percentage) to Jimmy Garoppolo’s pronounced regression as a viable quarterback.
Now, standing at 3-5 on the season and in desperate need of a win to keep a shot at a Wild Card bid alive, he’s got to face one of the NFL’s top teams. The Los Angeles Rams (-3.5) fell apart in last week’s primetime game, falling to the Tennessee Titans, 28-16, on a night they out-gained their opponent by more than 150 total yards. Matthew Stafford has a chip on his shoulder after two back-breaking interceptions in Week 9 and will get some added help with Odell Beckham Jr. sliding into the lineup to absorb the targets Robert Woods (torn ACL) leaves behind.
Will the Niners defend their home turf, their head coach and push back into the edge of playoff contention? Or are they merely a bump in the Rams’ road to annihilation?
Let’s talk about it. All odds via Tipico.
