NFL Week 15: Picks and predictions for Rams and 49ers on TNF

Week 15 of the 2024 NFL Season is upon us, so let's make some picks and predictions for Thursday Night Football. In what could be the tightest game of the Week, the San Francisco 49ers host the Los Angeles Rams. The two teams are separated by just one game, but the Rams did win their first matchup weeks ago.

LA comes into this game very much alive in the NFC West and in the NFC Wild Card chase at 7-6. The 49ers have a bit more work to do at 6-7, and they're also dealing with a ton of injuries. In fact, this is another one of those injury-plagued years for SF, and it seems like each down year they have had in the Kyle Shanahan era has been due to injuries.

Rams and 49ers kick us off in Week 15

The Niners are still mathematically alive in the NFC, so it's not like this team isn't totally out of it. This is also a divisional matchup featuring two of the best offensive mines of this generation in Sean McVay and Shanahan, so it'll be a fun game to view.

However, at this point in time, the LA Rams currently have advantages at head coach, quarterback, the trenches, and even with their playmakers.

It's really a lopsided game when you look at it; Rams QB Matthew Stafford has been unstoppable over the last three games and does now have a healthy unit around him on offense.

For the 49ers, they're dealing with key injuries to guys like Trent Williams, Nick Bosa, and we all know about the statuses of guys like Christian McCaffrey and Brandon Aiyuk, who have hardly played this year. The Niners are good enough to hang around most games, but when we're this late into the season and a team has this many injuries, it's hard to win games.

The LA Rams are going to win this game here to kick off Week 15 of the 2024 NFL Season and will move to 8-6 on the season. It would keep them very much in the mix in the NFC West, as the Seattle Seahawks are 8-5 and have a huge game against the Green Bay Packers.

LA has more to play for in this game, and if you ask me, the 49ers are probably in a spot where they can just play spoiler. Give me the Rams over the 49ers by 10 points in this game.

Prediction: Rams win 27-17