St. Louis @ San Francisco preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 13, 2014 ) San Francisco 31, St. Louis 17

With a bye week to regroup after getting carved up by Peyton Manning, the San Francisco 49ers take aim at their fourth win in five games when the host the St. Louis Rams on Sunday. It will be the second matchup in four weeks between the NFC West rivals after the 49ers erased a 14-point first-quarter lead en route to a 31-17 romp in St. Louis on Oct. 13. San Francisco has won the past three meetings against the Rams - all by double digits - and sits two games behind first-place Arizona in the division.

St. Louis pulled off one of the bigger upsets of the season with a 28-26 victory over reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle on Oct. 19, but followed that up with a dud, managing a season-low 200 yards of offense in a 34-7 beating at Kansas City. "It's disappointing," Rams coach Jeff Fisher said after the rout. "We had a great week, a short-lived bit of momentum, and we weren't able to put it all together." St. Louis continues to give up tons of points, allowing at least 31 in each of its five defeats.

TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, FOX. LINE: 49ers -10. O/U: 43.5

ABOUT THE RAMS (2-5): Not only is St. Louis in the midst of a brutal nine-game stretch that features out-of-division games against Dallas, Philadelphia, Denver and San Diego, but the team is dealing with a slew of injuries. Leading wide receiver Brian Quick suffered a shoulder injury in last week's loss and is done for the season, as is left tackle Jake Long, who tore an ACL in his knee for the second time in less than a year. Rookie Austin Davis, who went from third string to starter due to injuries, could be without two other offensive linemen as he attempts to bounce back from a 160-yard passing game at Kansas City. Davis was stymied by San Francisco in the first meeting, completing a season-low 50 percent (21-of-42) for 236 yards with one TD and one interception.

ABOUT THE 49ERS (4-3): San Francisco had won three in a row before its injury-riddled defense was picked apart by Manning, giving up three straight touchdown drives in the second half in the blowout loss. Pro Bowl linebacker Patrick Willis (toe) missed the game against Denver and has been limited in practice, but the team expects defensive back Jimmie Ward to return to the lineup after sitting out a game. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick had his finest game of the season to rally the 49ers past the Rams, throwing for 343 yards and three touchdowns with zero interceptions. Running back Frank Gore was limited to 38 yards on 16 carries in the first matchup, but he has scored 15 touchdowns in 15 career meetings against St. Louis, including five in the past five home games.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Kaepernick is 3-0 with six touchdowns and no picks lifetime against St. Louis.

2. The Rams made a move to bolster their defense at the trade deadline, acquiring S Mark Barron from Tampa Bay for a pair of draft picks.

3. St. Louis hasn't won in San Francisco since 2007, although the teams played to a tie there in 2012.

PREDICTION: 49ers 30, Rams 17