LOS ANGELES — Jared Verse has a couple of old Florida State teammates on the San Francisco 49ers. Cornerback Renardo Green and linebacker Tatum Bethune texted the Rams’ outside linebacker happy birthday on Tuesday, and Verse responded as only he can, and as only he would on a week like this.
“I said, ‘Hey thank you. Now get the [expletive] out my phone,’” Verse said. “‘You’re my opp this week.’”
Such is the nature of the rivalry between the Rams (6-2) and the 49ers (6-3), one that dates to the 1950s and in its most recent iteration has those kinds of interpersonal relationships that get thrown to the wayside once the ball is kicked off.
So perhaps it’s no surprise that the Rams feel no extra motivation this week as they and the 49ers find themselves in a three-team race for the NFC West title, two of three six-win teams along with the Seattle Seahawks vying for the divisional crown.
“I wouldn’t say there’s any extra juice needed,” Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua said, “especially against this opponent with the history that we have and the want to go out there and keep the momentum that we’ve been playing with after coming from the bye right before.”
The Rams are winners of three straight by an average margin of 22 points. But their last loss came against this very San Francisco team in devastating fashion. The Rams had fought back from 13 points down to force overtime on a Josh Karty field goal with two seconds left in regulation. But after a Niners field goal to open overtime, the Rams opted to run the ball on 4th-and-1 from the San Francisco 11 only to be stopped for no gain.
The locker room was deathly quiet after the game. Head coach Sean McVay’s frustration at his own final play call led him to delay his press conference as he cooled down in the aftermath.
“There are losses you come out and you’re like, ‘Wow, we got out-schemed,’” Nacua recalled. “It was a lack of execution on our part. The moments that we had to win and take advantage of the game and take momentum, we didn’t execute.”
Sunday represents an opportunity to display how the Rams have grown since that Week 5 game. The offense is fourth in the NFL with 0.207 estimated points added per play in the four weeks since then, with quarterback Matthew Stafford playing at an MVP level and Davante Adams proving to be the red-zone threat the Rams have needed the past three seasons.
And the defense hasn’t allowed more than 10 points in the last three contests. Against the 49ers, the secondary was gashed underneath as it played deep off the line of scrimmage. Since then, the cornerbacks have played a more physical brand of football that has allowed them to play more press and take away those short opportunities.
The one aspect of the Rams’ game still in need of answers is the field-goal unit. On Friday, McVay named practice-squad addition Harrison Mevis as Sunday’s the kicker over Karty, who missed a field goal and an extra point against San Francisco and has continued to struggle since.
The 49ers have seen their own changes as well. The defense has continued to withstand injuries, most notably to captain and linebacker Fred Warner. But that hasn’t led to a noticeable drop in performance as the team continues to plug along, even with starting quarterback Brock Purdy out the last five games with turf toe.
“Their style of play hasn’t changed at all,” Rams offensive coordinator and former Niners staffer Mike LaFleur said. “You can see a lot of the same traits that Fred had as a young guy that he’s instilling into this linebacking core unit. Yeah, he’s not out there. Yeah, you want to play a team when they have their best players because that’s what this league is about, but his presence is definitely still felt there for sure.”
So the Rams understand the challenge they have in front of them Sunday in Levi’s Stadium. And after the final whistle, maybe they can all go back to being friends.
“Yeah, it’s going to be different in postgame,” Verse said. “I want them to have sad eyes.”
RAMS (6-2) at 49ers (6-3)
When: 1:25 p.m. Sunday
Where: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara
TV/Radio: FOX (Ch. 11)/710 AM; 93.1 FM; 1330 AM (Spanish); Sirius 382, 226