Admin December 12, 2024
NFL Week 15 picks: Consider Lions, Chiefs and Bengals on Sunday
Lorenzo Reyes explains why he likes the Lions, Chiefs and Bengals in Week 15.
The race for the wild, wild NFC West is coming to a head, and the “Thursday Night Football” matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams is a crucial mile marker.
The 49ers (6-7) have been decimated by injuries in 2024, but entering Week 15, they’re still in the running for the division, somehow, some way. While they’ve had to navigate the injuries to the roster, they’ve also had to deal with a little bit of off-field drama: wide receiver Deebo Samuel recently put out the call to get more touches, which may force the offense into some changes entering the final four games of the season.
The Rams (7-6) have also dealt with their fair share of injuries this season that have led to a less-than ideal record, but their 44-42 win over the Bills in Week 14 may paint a more rosy picture for the remainder of the season. There are few secondary units across the league which can slow down the lethal duo of Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua; The pair erupted for 254 receiving yards and two touchdowns in that victory over Buffalo.
And then, of course, there are the head coaches: Kyle Shanahan holds a 10-5 record over Sean McVay, but McVay’s Rams got the most recent win, a 27-24 victory over the 49ers in September.
The playoff race is heating up, and California is the epicenter of one of the tightest divisions in the NFL. USA TODAY Sports will provide live updates, highlights and more from the Week 15 “Thursday Night Football” game between the Rams and 49ers below.
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- Start time: 8:15 p.m. ET (5:15 PT)
- Location: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California
The Rams travel north to Santa Clara to take on the 49ers in their home building.
- Live stream: Amazon Prime Video
- TV channel: Fox 11 (Los Angeles market) | Fox 2 (San Francisco market)
“Thursday Night Football” will exclusively stream on Amazon Prime Video for a national audience.
Fans in the Los Angeles market hoping to catch the game on TV can watch on Fox 11, while those in San Francisco’s viewing market can watch on Fox 2.
Watch “Thursday Night Football” with a Prime Video subscription
Here’s how the USA TODAY Sports staff feels the matchup between the Rams and 49ers will play out come kickoff:
- Lorenzo Reyes: 49ers 28, Rams 23
- Tyler Dragon: Rams 26, 49ers 21
- Richard Morin: Rams 28, 49ers 27
- Jordan Mendoza: Rams 25, 49ers 24
- Live stream: Amazon Prime Video
For viewers looking for the “TNF” matchup between the 49ers and Rams, you can tune to Amazon Prime Video.
Watch “Thursday Night Football” with a Prime Video subscription
Al Michaels (play-by-play) and Kirk Herbstreit (analyst) will be in the broadcast booth for Prime Video, with Kaylee Hartung (sideline) and Terry McAulay (rules analyst) providing additional coverage.
The Prime Video pregame, halftime and postgame shows feature Charissa Thompson as host, as well as former NFL players Ryan Fitzpatrick, Tony Gonzalez, Richard Sherman and Andrew Whitworth as analysts.
Taylor Rooks is the feature reporter for Prime Video’s “Thursday Night Football” coverage. Albert Breer provides reports and analysis.
Both Nick Bosa and Dre Greenlaw will play against the Rams. For Greenlaw, Thursday night’s game represents his first on-field action since suffering a bizarre Achilles injury in Super Bowl 58 while running back onto the field.
- QB Joshua Dobbs
- LT Trent Williams
- DL Khalil Davis
- S Malik Mustapha
- RB Israel Abanikanda
- CB Rock Ya-Sin
- RB Cody Schrader
- LB Brennan Jackson
- OL Dylan McMahon
- OL Warren McClendon Jr.
The 49ers are favorites to defeat the Rams, according to the BetMGM NFL odds. Not interested in this game? Check out expert picks and best bets for every NFL game this week.
- Spread: 49ers (-2.5)
- Moneyline: 49ers (-150); Rams (+125)
- Over/under: 48.5
Looking to make the “TNF” game a little bit more interesting? Here are some of the best bets for tonight’s 49ers-Rams tilt. All odds are via BetMGM as of Thursday.
- Kyren Williams OVER 73.5 rushing yards (-115);
- Matthew Stafford UNDER 0.5 rushing yards (-120);
- Kyle Juszczyk anytime TD (+750)
Isaac Guerendo plans to play against the Rams on Thursday night, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
He left Sunday’s win with what head coach Kyle Shanahan called a possible foot sprain. Guerendo didn’t seem too concerned about his availability for “Thursday Night Football,” saying, via NBC Sports Bay Area, after the game that the team was just being cautious.
The 49ers are a better team when they a variety of ways to get Deebo Samuel the ball, especially when the offense is missing players such as Christian McCaffrey and Brandon Aiyuk. The wideout is the second player in NFL history to register 4,000-plus receiving yards and 1,000-plus rushing yards in his first five seasons.
Samuel should be a focal point of the 49ers offense if the team wants to defeat the Rams, get out of last place in the NFC West and make a late postseason surge. The 49ers seem to understand that after Samuel’s deleted social media post. — Tyler Dragon
The “TNF” matchup between the 49ers and Rams is taking place at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Levi’s Stadium opened in 2014. It was the host venue for Super Bowl 50, which was won by the Denver Broncos over the Carolina Panthers. Levi’s Stadium also will host Super Bowl 60 on Feb. 8, 2026.
➤ Ranking NFL’s stadiums from 1 to 30: Where does 49ers’ Levi’s Stadium rate?
Game time temperatures at Levi’s Stadium will be in the mid-50s, according to AccuWeather. There is a slight chance for precipitation.
The Seahawks are currently in control of the NFC West, but the division is still very much up for grabs entering the remainder of the season.
- Seattle Seahawks (8-5)
- Los Angeles Rams (7-6)
- Arizona Cardinals (6-7)
- San Francisco 49ers (6-7)
The New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers are tied for the most Super Bowl wins with six.
The 49ers have eight total Super Bowl appearances and five rings to show for it, the most recent victory coming during the 1994 season in Super Bowl XXIX.
The Rams have played in five Super Bowls — winning two, most recently Super Bowl 56 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
NFL franchises with most Super Bowl wins:
➤ Super Bowl winners: All-time scores, results for NFL title game
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