STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
NFL Team Report - Los Angeles Rams
PLAYER NOTES --QB Jared Goff (349) needs six more completions to pass Sam Bradford (354, 2010) for the third-most single-season completions in franchise history. Marc Bulger (370) sits in second place, while Kurt Warner completed a franchise-best 375 passes in 2001. Goff needs 342 yards to pass Kurt Warner (4,830 in 2001) for the Rams single-season passing yards record. --WR Robert Woods (84) needs three receptions to tie Isaac Bruce and Marshall Faulk (87) for the 10th-most single-season receptions in franchise history. Bruce holds the franchise record with 119 receptions during the 1995 campaign. --RB Todd Gurley II (1,251) needs 55 rushing yards to set a new single-season career high. He set his current high mark in 2017 with 1,305 rushing yards. Gurley needs five receptions to set a new single-season career high. He set his current high mark in 2017 with 64 receptions. Gurley needs one rushing touchdown to match the Rams all-time single-season rushing touchdown record (Eric Dickerson, 18 1983). Gurley (6,430) needs 187 yards to pass Elroy Hirsch (6,616) for ninth place on the Rams all-time yards from scrimmage leaders list. Gurley needs five touchdowns to tie Marshall Faulk (26, 2000) for the franchise record for single-season touchdowns. Gurley needs six points to tie Eric Dickerson (348) for 13th place on the Rams all-time scoring leaders list. With Gurley's next 100-yard rushing game, he will tie Jerome Bettis (7, 1993), Marshall Faulk (7, 1999) and Steven Jackson (7, 2009) for the third-most single-season 100-plus yard rushing games in Rams history. --WR Brandin Cooks (75) needs 10 receptions to set a new single-season career high. He set his current high mark (84) as a member of the Saints in 2015. --DT Aaron Donald needs 3.5 sacks to set the all-time single-season sack record, set by Michael Strahan (22.5) in 2001. Donald recorded 4.0 sacks against the 49ers in the teams' Week 7 matchup this season. Donald needs 4.0 sacks to tie Robert Quinn and Kevin Carter (62.5) for third place on the Rams' all-time sack leaders list. PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: WR Robert Woods isn't only good at catching but also rushing. Among all wide receivers throughout the league, Woods (156) ranks third in the league in rushing yards through Week 16. Woods has 18 rushing attempts for 156 yards and averages 8.7 yards per rushing attempt. He recorded a 56-yard rushing attempt in a Week 5 win over the Seahawks and a 4-yard rushing touchdown in a Week 16 win over the Cardinals. GAME PLAN: The Rams would love to build a big cushion early against the 49ers to be able to pull some regulars in preparation for the postseason. But it's a fine line as the Rams have to win on Sunday to ensure a first-round bye. That said, expect them to follow the same blueprint they drew up last week to beat the Arizona Cardinals: Pound the ball on the ground to create a viable run game and then let Jared Goff and the offense play off that with play-action passes. The Rams are at their best when they are balanced. The question is, will it be C.J. Anderson running the ball or Todd Gurley II?MATCHUPS TO WATCH --Rams WR Brandin Cooks ranks second on the team with 75 receptions and receiving yards (1,142) with a 15.2 yards per reception average. At Oakland in Week 1, he drew two pass interference calls resulting in 87 penalty yards. Posted at least 1,000 yards receiving in each of the last three seasons. Became the first player in NFL history to record three-straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons on three different teams. Recorded 355 career receptions for 5,085 yards and 30 touchdowns. Averages 14.3 yards per reception with a 98-yard touchdown as his longest reception. Cooks will likely play vs. 49ers CB Richard Sherman, who has 35 tackles and four passes defended this year. --OLB Dante Fowler Jr. is a fourth-year pro who has played in 46 games with six starts through Week 16 of the 2018 season, including five starts as a Ram. Joined the Rams via a trade before the 2018 trade deadline and has 26 career QB hits, 18 tackles for loss, 16.0 sacks, four forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries. Posted his first sack as a Ram, a strip sack, of Seahawks QB Russell Wilson setting up a touchdown in a 2018 Week 10 game. He'll be matched up vs. 49ers RT Mike McGlinchey, a highly regarded rookie who has emerged as one of the top right tackles in the NFL.
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