NFL 2017: Who plays on Thursday Night Football in Week 3?
By Nick Sparrow
The San Francisco 49ers host the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday Night Football in Week 3 of the NFL season.
Thursday Night Football in Week 3 features an NFC West division matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams. Both teams are coming off of close losses in Week 2.
The 49ers lost 12-9 against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, while the Los Angeles Rams lost 27-20 to the Washington Redskins. The NFC West is currently in a three-way tie as the Rams, Seattle Seahawks, and Arizona Cardinals are all 1-1 entering Week 3. San Francisco, the fourth team in the division, are 0-2.
The 49ers didn’t look terrible against the Seahawks in Week 2, even holding a 9-6 lead in the fourth quarter before Russell Wilson led Seattle on a game-winning touchdown drive midway through the final quarter. Still, their rushing attack emerged as a serious threat as Carlos Hyde gained 124 yards on only 15 carries, averaging 8.3 yards per carry. Backup running back Matt Breida also gained 35 yards on only four carries, an average of 8.8 yards.
Rushing against the Seattle defense has never been easy, so it would seem the 49ers discovered something on offense that clearly was working for them. Their passing game continued to struggle as quarterback Brian Hoyer only threw for 99 yards and had an interception. In their first two games, the 49ers have failed to score a single touchdown.
The Rams, coming off a 46-9 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, lost at home to Washington in Week 2. Quarterback Jared Goff had only 15 completions despite his 25 attempts and threw an interception on the final drive of the game. The Rams had high hopes for the season after their impressive start but came back down to earth in Week 2.
Next: NFL Power Rankings 2017: Week 3
While neither of these teams has exciting offenses, this will be an important game in the NFC West. Both of these teams are looking to make a run at a wide-open division and this game is an important step in that process.