Niners Dismiss Rams in Blowout

Frank Gore carved up the St. Louis defense Thursday en route to 153 yards and a TD.

Colin Kaepernick had an improved outing while Frank Gore racked up the rushing yards Thursday night as the San Francisco 49ers handed the St. Louis Rams a definitive 35-11 defeat, garnering a cold slice of revenge in the process.

The Rams proved to be the Niners’ kryptonite last season, first forcing the Super Bowl-bound team to a rare tie in San Francisco before earning a narrow victory in St. Louis. That Rams team was missing in action Thursday night as Jim Harbaugh’s side eased to victory.

After giving up an early field goal, San Francisco put together a run of 28 straight points before running the game out with some garbage time touchdowns.

Kaepernick, who failed to pass for a touchdown in San Francisco’s back-to-back losses, completed 15 of 23 passes for 167 yards and two touchdown strikes. Anquan Boldin had his best game since Week 1, catching five passes for 90 yards and a touchdown, while Vernon Davis, questionable before the game with a hamstring injury, caught another score.

But it was the old-fashioned San Francisco rushing game that made the biggest splash. Gore carried the ball 20 times, compiling 153 yards on the ground – including 115 between the tackles – and crossing the goal line for a 34-yard touchdown to give the Niners a 14-3 lead late in the second quarter. Anthony Dixon and Kendall Hunter also scored rushing touchdowns as the Niners outrushed the Rams 219-18.

Aldon Smith checked into rehab earlier this week.

The San Francisco defense also had its say in the game, despite missing Nnamadi Asomugha (knee), Patrick Willis (groin) and Aldon Smith, who’s off the field problems have been widely documented over the last week. The Rams were limited to 170 passing yards and never found any kind of footing on the ground. Only a consolation touchdown pass from Sam Bradford to Lance Kendricks gave the team any offensive credibility, while the Niners managed to sack Bradford five times.

The win appears to put San Francisco back on track to challenge for the NFC West, while St. Louis will look ahead to an increasingly tough schedule. The fact that the win was a blowout is another strike against the NFL’s decision to continue with Thursday night games, which regularly take a bashing from fans and commentators alike.

Vegas Impact

In a game that was nowhere near as close as bookmakers had expected, San Francisco (2-2-0 ATS) covered the spread for the first time since Week 1.

St. Louis (0-4-0 ATS) meanwhile has failed to cover in all four regular season games, and is just 1-7-0 ATS since the beginning of preseason. This comes after the team posted an 11-5-0 ATS record last season, tied for best in the NFL.

The game saw the total – which opened at 44 and sat at 43.5 ahead of the game – go over. The result marked the first time the Niners (2-2-0) had seen the total go over since Week 1, while the Rams (3-1-0) continue to be involved in games that eclipse the over.

Looking ahead, odds of San Francisco winning Super Bowl XLVIII are likely to be shortened when bookmakers release their NFL futures odds next week. In the wake of a 1-2 start, the Niners had slipped from 6/1 on the eve of the season to 12/1 ahead of Thursday’s game, falling behind the Denver Broncos (7/2), Seattle Seahawks (17/4) and New England Patriots (10/1), and tied with the New Orleans Saints (12/1).

St. Louis, who opened the season at 40/1 to lift the Lombardi Trophy, will in all likelihood slip further back than the 150/1 odds they entered this game with.

Up Next

San Francisco faces a tough challenge in Week 5, hosting the Houston Texans on Sunday Night Football. The two sides have split a pair of head-to-head games since the Texans arrived in the NFL in 2002, each successfully defending its home field. The Texans must first navigate a home game against Seattle. A win for the Texans in that one would certainly raise the hopes of the 49ers.

St. Louis stays in the Gateway City to host the Jacksonville Jaguars, a team the Rams will be confident of beating in light of the team’s poor start to the year. If the Jaguars fail to beat the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, the team will travel to St. Louis with a 0-4 record. The Rams own a 2-1 all-time record against the Jaguars, and have won both games played in St. Louis.

For a list of remaining Week 4 NFL odds, click here.

For a full list of NFL Futures, click here.

For NFL team prop bets, click here.

For NFL player prop bets, click here.