NFL Football
2025-10-02 - San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States : NFL Week 5
Thursday 2nd October 2025 - Scheduled 8:15pm
1:15am (British Time)
Preview
Three teams are leading the way in the NFC West with the same 3-1 record and two of those are facing one another on Thursday Night Football when the Los Angeles Rams host the San Francisco 49ers.
It is the Rams who have won the last three in the head to head, and they also earned a victory in Week 4 on the same day that the San Francisco 49ers saw their unbeaten record ended in a home defeat to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
That alone would not be a massive concern, but the 49ers are banged up across both Offensive and Defensive units and that leaves them very vulnerable in a short week.
Brock Purdy was playing at Quarter Back in Week 4, but he is trending towards sitting out on Thursday Night Football as the 49ers look to help Purdy manage his turf toe issues. It helps that Mac Jones is available this week and he has helped San Francisco earn a couple of wins while leading the team in Purdy's absence, although the bigger issue is that his top Receiving options are all hurt and some are going to have to sit out.
In most cases, teams would look to make up for that by handing the ball to the Running Back and using the ground game to stay in front of the chains. The 49ers have a very good Running Back in Christian McCaffrey, but the Offensive Line have not really been opening up the kind of gaps that McCaffrey would exploit, while they are also facing a Los Angeles Defensive Line that has been rebuilt with defending the run in mind.
This is going to make life difficult for Mac Jones, especially if some of the top targets have to sit, while the Rams pass rush has been very effective all season and has helped this Secondary play at a strong level.
After a late comeback defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Rams bounced back to score a late Touchdown in beating the Indianapolis Colts and this is a team that is playing with a lot of confidence.
Matthew Stafford is playing well and he has a couple of very strong Receivers to help out, while the Rams Offensive Line should have more success in establishing the run.
This will give Stafford the manageable down and distance to expose this San Francisco Secondary, especially as the 49ers pass rush has been struggling and is going to be without Nick Bosa the rest of the way. The Secondary have played the pass pretty well this season, but San Francisco have not faced a Quarter Back playing at the level of Matthew Stafford and this could be a game that potentially gets out of hand for the road team.
Sean McVay has Coached really well in Divisional games, while Kyle Shanahan is 3-6 against the spread in the last nine following a defeat. The latter also had a tough record when facing NFC West teams last season, while the San Francisco 49ers were 0-3 against the spread when set as the road underdog in 2024.
You could potentially make a case for a backdoor cover if the Rams lose a bit of focus, but you have to believe there is plenty of motivation to secure a big win over a Divisional rival.
If they can come out and make an early statement Defensively, Los Angeles should have the momentum to take the game to the 49ers and ultimately cover this line set.
Prediction
Lay the points with the home favourite.
The Pick :
Los Angeles Rams 27-17 San Francisco 49ers
