These two have been tussling all season, and it's going to be the NFC Final that decides who comes out on top.
Reaching Peak Rivalry: Third time's the charm?
Sunday's matchup will be the third California Confrontation and it really could go either way:
49ers have already won twice
They say it's hard to beat a team 3 times in a season. But is it? Those who have looked into the stats say the 3rd win happens about 65% of the time, giving the 49ers a slight advantage from this POV.
Rams have a better record
LA came out on top of the NFC after the regular season with 12 wins. Betting odds are slightly in their favour, as 3.5 point favourites.
Rams already missed a shot
The 49ers squeaked into the playoffs in a dramatic OT win in their final game of the season, which was against the Rams. This is unfinished business for LA, and it's coming in hot.
The Fan Factor is Real
LA is going all out to keep 49ers fans out of SoFi Stadium this Sunday. But 49ers fans aren't going down easily. This drama comes after the season clincher showdown in LA had so much red in the stands, it became questionable who really got the home field advantage.
Coaching Edge: Who's got it?
LA's Sean McVay & SF's Kyle Shanahan have had parallels drawn between them since they both got their start coaching in Washington. They're peers in offensive approach and been making moves for 5 years to reach this moment, where one of these two will decidedly break out ahead.
A QB Career-Maker
Both Matthew Stafford and Jimmy Garoppolo have been working for their taste of Super Bowl glory for a while.
Stafford, having spent 11 seasons with the bottomfeeder Detroit Lions, has never had a brush with Playoff success like this before. It's looking more like his decision to part ways with the Lions was the move his career needed.
Jimmy G has been in the shadow of success, having spent 4 seasons in New England playing backup to Tom Brady.
On the hunt for something he can call his own, he's now been with San Francisco for 5 years. Things are starting to shift in SF, though: he's on the verge of free agency and the 49ers already having procured a replacement. We'll see if this success he's been putting up means he's not quite out of a job yet. Or at least he'll end on a high note.