San Francisco 49ers (12-3) vs. St. Louis Rams (2-13)

The San Francisco 49ers are back on the right track as they have won two games in a row.  They need this game to sew up the #2 seed in the NFC Playoffs and a first round bye.  The Rams have lost six games in a row, but they have been really awful in their last four games.  In their last four games, the Rams have been shutout twice and they have been beaten by a combined score of 103-26 in those games.  The Niners shut out the Rams just four weeks ago, 26-0 in San Francisco.   Here is a look at the matchups in this game: When the 49ers have the ball:  The 49ers want to get the competitive part of this football game done early, so that they can rest some starters.  With that in mind, look for the Niners to be more balanced than usual.  They will still pound Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter against the Rams’ D which is allowing 154.5 yards rushing per game and 4.9 yards per carry.  The Niners must protect Alex Smith well, so that he can take some shots down the field to Michael Crab...