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Sixth-seeded San Francisco recorded wins of 31-10 at home and
27-24 in overtime on the road in this season's two
regular-season meetings with the Rams. The latter meeting, in
Week 18, saw the 49ers overcome a 17-0 deficit to clinch a
playoff spot at SoFi Stadium.
The stakes are higher now with San Francisco in its fifth NFC
title game in the past 11 seasons and Los Angeles in its second
in the past four.
The Rams reached the title game despite blowing a 24-point lead
against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the divisional round.
Matthew Stafford's crucial 44-yard pass to Cooper Kupp led to
Matt Gay's decisive 30-yard game-ending field goal in a 30-27
victory.
The 49ers beat the Green Bay Packers 13-10 in the divisional
round Saturday without scoring an offensive touchdown, and
Robbie Gould's game-ending 45-yard field goal elevated San
Francisco.
As for the Rams' issues with the 49ers, Kupp said it will be a
non-factor on Sunday.
"The Niners have done a great job against us the past few
years," Kupp said after Wednesday's practice. "You learn from
the past and you have to be ready to move forward. We don't live
in a world where we need past motivations."
San Francisco quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo doesn't see the streak
giving his team an advantage.
"Every game's different," Garoppolo said. "So the feel of it,
the flow of it, last time we played the Rams when we were down
(and) it didn't feel like we were in control of that one. So I
think each one has its own flavor to it."
Stafford is aiming to give the Rams a better showing after
throwing two interceptions in each of the losses to the 49ers.
Stafford was picked off eight times over the Rams' final four
regular-season contests. He has turned that around in the
postseason by not tossing any during wins over the Arizona
Cardinals and Bucs.
Stafford engineered his 43rd career winning drive in the fourth
quarter or overtime of his 13-year career against Tampa Bay, but
it was his first in the postseason. He went 0-3 in the playoffs
with the Detroit Lions before being dealt to the Rams last
offseason.
"It means a lot," Stafford said of the game-winning drive that
began with 42 seconds remaining. "That's a lot of hard work for
a lot of years going into a short amount of time. A lot of hard
work this year, too, with some great teammates.
"That's the thing I've loved, and I've really appreciated in
being a part of this team is how many guys we have pulling the
rope in the right direction, doing everything they can to be
prepared for those moments."
Kupp has put together a wide receiver season for the ages. He
led the NFL in receptions (145), receiving yardage (1,947) and
touchdown receptions (16) and has tacked on 14 catches for 244
yards and two scores in the playoffs.
But San Francisco star defensive end Nick Bosa and his mates
shut down Aaron Rodgers and the Packers last weekend after
beating the Dallas Cowboys in the opening round of the playoffs.
The 49ers also have top-level confidence after recovering from a
shaky 3-5 start, while observing the manner Garoppolo handled
things when there were calls for him to be replaced by rookie
Trey Lance.
"Jimmy G, you can't say enough about that guy," San Francisco
tight end George Kittle said. "The (bleep) that he takes, excuse
my language, consistently, people just try to pull him down, and
all he does is try to deliver. He leads this team, he has a
sense of calm in the huddle, he has a sense of calm in the
storm, and he allows us to play football at a high level."
Garoppolo is still dealing with a thumb injury on his throwing
(right) hand, but 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said his
quarterback's previous shoulder injury is no longer an issue
Left tackle Trent Williams (ankle) didn't practice all week and
is listed as questionable for Sunday's game. Shanahan said he
was confident Williams will answer the bell.
The 49ers also listed running back Jeff Wilson Jr. (ankle) as
questionable. Starting running back Elijah Mitchell (knee) was a
full practice participant on Friday and is set to play.
For Los Angeles, veteran left tackle Andrew Whitworth (knee) is
slated to play after missing last week's victory over the Tampa
Bay Buccaneers. But offensive tackle Joseph Noteboom (chest) is
doubtful after not practicing at all this week.
Safety Taylor Rapp (concussion) is questionable and expected to
return after missing both postseason games. Also, receiver Van
Jefferson (knee) is questionable.
The teams have met in the NFC title game once before when the
Joe Montana-led 49ers routed the Rams 30-3 in the 1989
conference championship game at San Francisco.
--Field Level Media
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