Where: Candlestick Park, San Francisco (grass, outdoors)
When: Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET (Fox)
Spread: 49ers by 11
Forecast: Mid 50s. Mostly cloudy with no chance of rain.
Records: Rams: (Overall: 3-5; NFC West: 2-0). 49ers (Overall: 6-2; NFC West: 2-0).
Past results: Two most recent meetings -- Jan 1, 2012: 49ers 34, Rams 27; Dec. 4, 2011: 49ers 26, Rams 0. Series record: 49ers lead 62-61-2.
What matters: Neither team has a loss in the division, but St. Louis has lost three straight since back-to-back wins against Seattle and Arizona at the beginning of October. The Rams were without WR Danny Amendola during their losing streak due to a separated SC joint, but he is expected to return Sunday. Despite missing three games, Amendola is still the team’s leading receiver (32 catches, 395 yards).
Who matters: QB Alex Smith. Smith is coming off one of the best performances of the year -- 18 of 19 for 232 yards and three TDs in a 24-3 win over the Cardinals. He set a single-game NFL record with a 94.7 completion percentage with a minimum of 15 pass attempts in a game. The performance came after two sub-par games for Smith, so it’s imperative for him to string to together consecutive performances -- especially against a team like the Rams -- to build the momentum the team seemingly had after back-to-back blowout wins against the Jets and Bills.
Key matchup: 49ers CBs vs. Amendola. Amendola was targeted 9.8 times a game during the Rams’ first three games of the year, including 16 times in their 31-28 win against Washington in Week 2. He plays mostly in the slot, which means Carlos Rogers will likely spend a lot of time shadowing him. Rogers compared Amendola to Giants WR Victor Cruz earlier in the week. The other matchup to watch is 49ers RT Anthony Davis vs. Rams DE Chris Long. Davis has taken his lumps against Long before but is arguably the most improved offensive lineman in the NFL. Davis going head-to-head with Long, who 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio likened to a “rolling ball of butcher knives” is sure to be good theater.
Injuries of note: The 49ers are completely healthy. Several players were listed on the injury report, but every player on the team was a full participant in practice on Thursday.
Connections: Amendola and 49ers WR Michael Crabtree were teammates at Texas Tech in 2007. During that season, Crabtree had 134 catches for 1,962 yards and 22 TDs, and Amendola had 109 catches for 1,245 yards and six scores.
Inside stuff: The 49ers have an 11-game home winning streak against divisional opponents, the top mark in the NFL.
Stats you should know: QBs have an NFL-low 28.7 rating when they target receivers being covered by 49ers CB Chris Culliver, according to ProFootballFocus.com.
Looking ahead: San Francisco will shift its attention to Chicago, its chief rival for best defense in the NFL. The teams will square off next week on Monday Night Football in a game that has a final score of 6-3 written all over it. After that, it’s a trip to New Orleans for the 49ers before a rematch with the Rams in St. Louis after that.
Prediction: 49ers 27, Rams 9
Follow 49ers reporter Kyle Bonagura on Twitter: @CBS49ers and @KyleBonagura.
