David John says San Francisco can avoid dropping to 0-3 for the season with a win over the LA Rams on Thursday night.
LA Rams at San Francisco (Friday, 0125 BST, Sky Sports Main Event & Action)
After watching San Francisco execute some explosive offensive plays in pre-season and stop-gap veteran quarterback Brian Hoyer admit he was having the most fun of his career, it has been a little bit of a shock to see them put up two lame efforts since the games started to mean something.
They have managed just 12 points, missed routine throws and don’t look like a team under the direction of new head coach Kyle Shanahan, the man who masterminded Atlanta’s high-octane march to the Super Bowl last season.
I referred to Hoyer as a stand-in for good reason with the much-travelled 31-year-old simply filling in while the 49ers plan their next move at the position in the longer term.
Fans who have enjoyed watching Joe Montana, Steve Young and even Colin Kaepernick in his prime down the years must currently endure Hoyer as he struggles to get something tangible going in the passing game.
He has mustered a total of 292 yards through the air (99 against Seattle last weekend), a passer rating of just 60.7 as a hugely conservative approach saw him attempt only two passes longer than 10 yards at the Seahawks.
The quarterback will always take the brunt of the criticism but crucial dropped passes by Marquise Goodwin in particular have seen drives stall and the team make history by not registering a touchdown in their opening two games.
I am painting a rather depressing picture so far but it is not all doom and gloom.
Running back Carlos Hyde has enjoyed a promising start, an enthusiastic defense has really come to play and games on their schedule will be somewhat easier than those openers against Carolina and Seattle.
It should not be long before offensive whizz Shanahan has them all singing from the same hymn sheet and I believe that a step in the right direction can be made on Thursday at home to the Rams.
The latter are 1-1 after a crushing victory over Indianapolis before slipping to a 27-20 home loss to Washington but there has been promise in both outings under rookie head coach Sean McVay.
Second-year quarterback Jared Goff is progressing in a new system and has flashed the talent that led to him being picked number one in the 2016 NFL Draft, while running back Todd Gurley appears to be on the way back up after a disappointing time last year.
This will be their first road game of the campaign and they probably have every right to fancy their chances of moving to 2-1 against a team that is still trying to find some momentum when it comes to putting points on the board.
However, Hyde’s physicality on the ground and one seminal play from the experienced Hoyer could be all it takes for them to click under a very talented head coach who is dedicated enough to sleep at his office on a short week in a bid to get a head start on strategy.
The defense will have to dig deep after playing a lot of snaps in Seattle but an all-round effort in a bid to avoid going 0-3 means the hosts could be some value to pull off a bit of an upset on the west coast.
Prediction: LA Rams 16-19 San Francisco
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Posted at 1620 BST on 20/09/17.
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