49ers' 5 keys to upsetting the Rams at Levi's South in NFC West battle

"Business travel is picking up for the 49ers. Four of their next five games are away from Levi's Stadium, site of last Sunday's first loss of the season, a 26-21 turnover-fest against Jacksonville. Now the stakes jack up with the 49ers' lone appearance on Prime Video's Thursday Night Football, with a 5:15 p.m. visit to the 7-point favorite Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium, where the majority of fans are typically 49ers Faithful."

"The 49ers are packing light, so to speak: quarterback Brock Purdy and leading wide receivers Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings have been ruled out because of injuries. As helpful as a last-place schedule may assist the injury-riddled 49ers this season, can jetlag be added to their relentless injury list? The upcoming runway: at the Rams tonight, Oct. 12 at Tampa Bay (4:25 p.m. ET), Oct. 19 vs. Atlanta (5:20 p.m.), Oct. 26 at Houston (noon CT), Nov. 2 at the New York Giants (1 p.m. ET)."

"Historically, it's rare to play four of five on the road, and even rarer to have that stretch uninterrupted by a bye. Shanahan has experienced it just once as the 49ers' coach, going 2-3 in that 2020 late-season block while getting booted out of Santa Clara County amid COVID protocol. The 49ers haven't had a four-of-five road string this early in a season since 1989, when they opened with five of six on the road en route to a second straight Super Bowl crown."

Four of the 49ers' next five games are on the road, including a Thursday Night visit to the Rams at SoFi Stadium. Brock Purdy and leading receivers Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings have been ruled out with injuries. The team lost 26-21 at Levi's Stadium to Jacksonville last Sunday. The road stretch includes trips to Tampa Bay, Houston, and the New York Giants with only one home game versus Atlanta in that span. Coach Kyle Shanahan acknowledged both challenges and potential advantages to the extended road block. The team also has an 11-game interception drought dating back to last November.

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