Struggling 49ers, Rams, Duke it Out by the Bay

The St. Louis Rams were finally able to break out of a long
 and painful winless drought last week. The San Francisco 49ers would love to
 do the same this Sunday at Monster Park, when these two struggling divisional
 foes clash in a matchup between teams enduring disappointing seasons

 Both the Rams and 49ers were expected to contend in what was generally viewed
 as a wide-open NFC West this season, but reaching the playoffs appears to be a
 goal well out of reach for either squad right now. St. Louis' 1-8 record is
 the worst mark in the conference, but it's only slightly bettered by San
 Francisco's 2-7 ledger.

 At least the Rams will be coming into the game on a positive note. After
 losing its first eight games of the season, the worst-ever start in franchise
 history, St. Louis finally got a measure of relief with last Sunday's 37-29
 upset of New Orleans at the Superdome.

 Injuries have wrecked head coach Scott Linehan's club all year long, with such
 valued performers as running back Steven Jackson, quarterback Marc Bulger,
 offensive tackle Orlando Pace and defensive end Leonard Little all missing
 significant time. The Rams have managed to get healthier in a few key spots,
 however, and that was a contributing factor to last week's win.

 Bulger, who sat out two games in October with badly-bruised ribs, put up his
 second straight 300-yard outing through the air and tossed a pair of touchdown
 passes. In just his second contest back from a groin tear that cost him four
 weeks of the season, Jackson rushed for 76 yards and a score while also
 throwing a two-yard touchdown pass to tight end Randy McMichael in the first
 half.

 Included in the Rams' first-half string of defeats was a 17-16 edging by the
 49ers in St. Louis back in Week 2. San Francisco kicker Joe Nedney delivered
 the winning points with a 40-yard field goal with 3:28 remaining, with the
 kick set up by a Niners' recovery of a fumbled punt from the Rams' Dante Hall.

 San Francisco hasn't tasted victory since that meeting, and the team's losing
 streak reached seven games with a discouraging 24-0 blanking at Seattle this
 past Monday.

 The 49ers mustered a mere 173 net yards against the Seahawks, and currently
 rank at the bottom of the NFL in total offense (218.6 ypg), passing offense
 (128.4 ypg) and scoring (11.6 ppg).

 San Francisco has not lost eight in a row since the 1999 campaign, a year in
 which the once-storied franchise finished 4-12.

 SERIES HISTORY

 The Rams hold a 59-54-2 edge in their regular season series with the 49ers,
 but were 17-16 home losers when the teams met in Week 2. St. Louis won the
 previous meeting, a 20-17 affair at the Edward Jones Dome in Week 12 of last
 year. San Francisco won the first meeting between the two last season, taking
 a 20-13 home decision in Week 2. The Rams are 0-2 in San Francisco since last
 winning there in 2004.

 In addition to the regular season series, the teams have met once in the
 postseason, with San Francisco earning a 30-3 home triumph over the then-Los
 Angeles Rams in the 1989 NFC Championship.

 San Francisco head coach Mike Nolan is 4-1 against St. Louis in his career,
 while Linehan is 1-2 against both Nolan and the 49ers as a head coach.

 WHEN THE RAMS HAVE THE BALL

 St. Louis' normally-potent offense has been slowed to a crawl for much of the
 season due to the team's rash of injuries, but it appears as if the unit is
 finally rounding back into form. The Rams amassed 393 total yards in a 27-20
 loss to Cleveland in Week 8, then followed up with season-bests for yards
 (409) and points in last Sunday's triumph. Bulger's (1602 passing yards, 5 TD,
 8 INT) 302-yard, two-touchdown, no-interception effort against the Saints was
 his best game of the year as well, and the Pro Bowl signal-caller shredded the
 Niners for 368 passing yards back in September. Star wideout Torry Holt (54
 receptions, 4 TD) also posted a season-high with 124 yards on eight catches,
 the veteran's second straight 100-plus yard day. Bulger may not have the
 reliable Isaac Bruce (27 receptions, 1 TD) at his disposal on Sunday, however.
 The 35-year-old, who is considered questionable with a hamstring strain, had
 eight grabs for 145 yards in the last meeting with San Francisco.

 Jackson (350 rushing yards, 2 TD, 15 receptions) hasn't come close to
 duplicating the numbers that earned him All-Pro recognition in 2006, partly
 because of his health issues and partly due to the poor play of an offensive
 line that's had three regulars go down to season-ending injuries. The
 playmaking back is averaging just 3.5 yards per carry this year, while the
 Rams rank just 29th in rushing offense (82.7 ypg) as a team.

 San Francisco's defense has actually held up reasonably well for a unit that's
 been constantly put in tough spots by the offense. The 49ers have been more
 effective against the run, as evidenced by the 61 rushing yards the club
 allowed to St. Louis in the teams' Week 2 encounter. Rookie Patrick Willis (88
 tackles, 0.5 sacks) has done a sensational job at one of inside linebacker
 spots, while veteran counterpart Derek Smith (61 tackles, 1 INT) and strong
 safety Michael Lewis (60 tackles, 1 INT, 0.5 sacks) are both proven stoppers
 for a group that has held opponents to a respectable 3.8 yards per rush. The
 Niners will be without nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin (19 tackles) on Sunday,
 however. The space-eating lineman suffered a calf strain during the Seattle
 game.

 Despite sporting two well-decorated cornerbacks in Nate Clements (47 tackles,
 2 INT, 1 sack) and Walt Harris (34 tackles, 1 INT, 8 PD) in the secondary, San
 Francisco ranks 21st in the league in passing defense (216.4 ypg) and has
 garnered just six interceptions. The Niners have struggled to consistently
 rush the passer, having compiled only 14 sacks on the year. Six of those
 takedowns came against the Rams, however, with longtime end Bryant Young (21
 tackles, 4 sacks) getting to Bulger three times.

 WHEN THE 49ERS HAVE THE BALL

 Anemic would be a generous adjective to use in regard to the San Francisco
 offense, particularly when labeling the team's non-existent passing attack.
 Quarterback Alex Smith (914 passing yards, 2 TD, 4 INT) has completed less
 than 47 percent of his throws in three games since returning from a sprained
 shoulder, and has surpassed 200 yards only once in his seven season starts.
 For that reason, Nolan will reportedly turn back to veteran Trent Dilfer (463
 passing yards, 3 TD, 5 INT) under center this week. Possession receiver Arnaz
 Battle (32 receptions, 2 TD) has been the team's most trusty wideout, while
 athletic tight end Vernon Davis (26 receptions, 1 TD) has often been under-
 utilized.

 The 49ers' offensive woes have extended to the run game as well. San Francisco
 is averaging a mere 90.1 yards per contest on the ground (25th overall), while
 running back Frank Gore (507 rushing yards, 3 TD, 17 receptions) has yet to
 top the 100-yard mark this season. That's a far cry from a year ago, when the
 Niners ranked sixth in the NFL in that category (135.8 ypg). One of Gore's
 best games in 2007 came at the expense of the Rams, who allowed the 24-year-
 old to rush for 81 yards and a pair of scores.

 St. Louis doesn't possess what anyone would call a shutdown defense, but the
 Rams did hold San Francisco to a paltry 186 total yards and 97 net passing
 yards in their Week 2 defeat. And that was without starting cornerbacks Tye
 Hill (23 tackles) and Fakhir Brown (27 tackles, 2 INT, 12 PD) in the lineup.
 The duo will be on the field on Sunday, and their return has shored up a pass
 defense that stands 17th overall (212.1 ypg) at the moment. Like the 49ers,
 the Rams haven't been very good pressuring quarterbacks, especially since the
 dangerous Little was placed on injured reserve earlier this month. Middle
 linebacker Will Witherspoon (70 tackles) leads the team with three sacks and
 is St. Louis' top tackler as well.

 The Rams yielded a season-low 43 rushing yards to New Orleans last week,
 although the Saints basically abandoned the run after falling behind big early
 in the second half. Witherspoon has been the standout member of the front
 seven, with end James Hall (39 tackles, 2 sacks) the most productive stopper
 on the line. Hall had seven tackles and a sack against the 49ers in September.
 For the year St. Louis ranks 22nd in the league in run defense (120.2 ypg).

 FANTASY FOCUS

 This game has no impact other than helping to determine position for next
 April's draft, and it doesn't offer much from a fantasy perspective either.
 St. Louis does have a few good options in Bulger, who's slowly regaining his
 one-time status as an elite fantasy quarterback, and Holt, the one Ram player
 on offense who has managed to live up to expectations. Jackson owners keep
 waiting for that breakout game out of their blue-chip investment. It may not
 come on Sunday, but he's still definitely worth starting. Also worth watching
 for St. Louis is veteran receiver Drew Bennett (18 receptions, 2 TD), who
 should see plenty of balls come his way with Bruce limited or possibly out.

 There's not much to choose from on the San Francisco side. Gore has a good
 matchup this week that should make the frustrated back a solid play, but his
 track record this season puts him only in the No. 2 RB class. Nolan has stated
 this week that he'd like to get the ball in Davis' hands more, so the workout
 warrior should be a decent play at tight end. Alex Smith should not be started
 under any circumstances.

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