San Francisco 49ers: Marquise Goodwin, players to watch vs. Rams in Week 7

The San Francisco 49ers will try to bounce back from the heartbreaker in Green Bay against the undefeated Rams. These five players will be key to doing so.

Another extremely tough challenge lies in wait for the San Francisco 49ers as they bid to respond to a gut-wrenching loss to the Green Bay Packers by beating the undefeated Los Angeles Rams on a short week.

Few will expect a divisional matchup that had a lot of allure — so much that it was initially placed in primetime — before the Jimmy Garoppolo to be close, with the 49ers expected to fail miserably in their bid to end a four-game losing streak.

Yet, even though they collapsed late in Green Bay, the fact they were within a few plays of toppling the Packers on the road should give the Niners some degree of confidence. Here we look at five players who will be key to helping them turn that confidence into a huge upset.

Weston Richburg

Richburg has been a huge upgrade at center for the 49ers, living up to the lucrative contract they gave him in free agency. However, after being sternly tested by Kenny Clark on Monday, he faces another significant challenge against the Rams vaunted interior defensive line.

He will tasked with keeping his head on a swivel and helping guards Mike Person and Laken Tomlinson as they bid to contain Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh. Additionally, Richburg is absolutely crucial to a 49ers ground attack, his ability to get to the second level and take on linebackers a key reason why San Francisco’s run game is ranked third in the NFL.

The Rams have proved vulnerable to the run and are rated 26th in rush defense DVOA by Football Outsiders. For the 49ers to take advantage, another strong showing from Richburg will be required.