The San Francisco 49ers are set to face the Los Angeles Rams as they look to head into their Bye weekend with a win. Here's what both teams had to say ahead of the Week 8 matchup:
Niners Liners
Head coach Kyle Shanahan on what he expects in Week 8:
"We don't change much. They (the Rams) don't change much. We do the same thing each time and they do too. Their scheme hasn't changed in a number of years and neither has ours. You try your hardest to get good players the ball in space and you see what they do with it. It's a pretty simple game with both of us, because we know each other well and it usually turns into a physicality game. Who turns the ball over the least and who makes one more play than the other."
Shanahan on what's changed since the teams last played against each other in Week 4:
"There's only been two games, so we watched those two games hard that they've played since us, but it's the same way they account for everybody. They have a scheme that hasn't changed, so you know what you're going to do. It's a very sound scheme with some good players and they do a good job of mixing their coverages up and it really never changes."
Shanahan's reaction to the amount of 49ers fans that showed up to the 49ers last game at SoFi Stadium:
"It's one of the coolest things I've seen in sports. And home field advantage is a big deal in the NFL because of crowd noise and when you don't have to worry about that as much on the road, it's huge. And when you actually can get the crowd noise, it doesn't happen very much, but it's a big deal."
Shanahan on how RB Christian McCaffrey has acclimated to the team:
"He worked real hard to get his stuff last week. We gave the whole team the gameplan on Wednesday. It's harder for a guy when he hasn't heard the stuff other weeks, but he did great in his three practices and he's good to go."
Defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans on the team's goal this week:
"At the end of the day, we have to do our job better. Whatever the defense calls for, whatever that technique is, we have to do our jobs better, and that's all across the board. It's technique, whether it's eyes, whatever it may be. Everybody just has to be locked in and do their job better."
Ryans on his evaluation of the Rams:
"The thing with the Rams is they're consistent. They're going to do what they do. I think I said last time, it's always the Cooper Kupp show. That hasn't changed over the past couple weeks. You find a way to get that guy the ball and he's going to make a play for them. So that hasn't changed much for those guys who are still running their same scheme. They find a way to get their playmakers the ball and guys do a great job of converting, whether it's a screen or a jet sweep type play. They do a great job of taking a short pass and taking it to the house. That's the interesting part. That's the cool part about their offense, relying on their playmakers and you see the speed jump off with Tutu Atwell and Brandon Powell in the back field, more screens to those guys. So they have a lot of different playmakers, speedy guys who can make plays."
Ryans on what emotions the 49ers defense has going into the Week 8 matchup:
"Everybody's able to express themselves differently. Some guys are angry, some guys can be analytical. Whatever it is, it doesn't matter to me either way. We're going to correct what we need to correct and move forward, but it's the freedom of guys just to be themselves. And that's the special part of being here with the Niners, allowing guys just to be themselves, express themselves how they need to and everybody's together on everything we do to get it corrected."
Offensive line and run game coordinator Chris Foerster on accounting for Rams DL Aaron Donald:
"I think Aaron Donald's a great player and has had great games against us. I think it's a group effort. Whether it's the protection plan, whether it's the quarterback getting the ball out and how we design the passing game, whether it's the types of runs we run and where we run them. I will say that he is a focal point for us on every single play. There isn't a play that we don't run where Aaron Donald isn't considered."
Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo on if he prepares differently when going against the Rams:
"No different than any other team. I think it's just when two teams know each other as familiar as we do and coaches and schemes, all that stuff I think comes into play. It makes it difficult to run the ball. When you have that many bodies in there and things like that, it just gets tight, so sometimes you've got to pass to set up to run and vice versa."
Garoppolo on the team's mindset heading into Week 8's contest:
"We need to get to where we need to get more quickly and just with a sense of urgency. I think that's the biggest thing. I think you feel it in the locker room. I've felt it throughout the week, honestly, just there's a sense of urgency with the guys. And we have to do this together. No individual's going to do it on his own. We have to do this as a team. And I think that's what has made us great in the past. We just have to get back to that."
Rams Quotes
Rams head coach Sean McVay on the 49ers offense:
"You're aware they've got great playmakers, they do a good job of being able to kind of put stress on defenses based on Kyle's ability to get those guys in the right spots and know how to attack certain defensive structures and schemes while also keeping his personnel in mind. Really all those guys are kind of the normal cast, and now you're saying, 'Alright, how do they want to activate McCaffrey in some different ways that maybe they've done with their other backs.' But they've always been a really tough outfit. Kyle does a great job, as well as the offensive coaches. They do a great job in all three phases, but I wouldn't say it changes much. We've just got to go play good football and do what we're capable of."
McVay on preparing for the Faithful at SoFi Stadium:
"They travel well. We definitely have the ability to utilize our silent count if need be. We'd rather be ready than caught off guard. And so, if that's the case, certainly our guys are ready to handle that. And if not, we'll be excited about that as well."
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford on the 49ers:
"They present a unique challenge. Obviously a very physical team, a very fast team, a really well coached team. They're just a good football team. On the defensive side of the ball, what I'm going up against, they're talented in the back end, really talented up front, talented at the second level. They play a scheme that they're all really comfortable in, know the rules and assignments and go play aggressive."
Rams linebacker Bobby Wagner on Garoppolo:
"I think he is extremely smart. He understands how to get the ball out quick. That's why it's so hard to get sacks on him because he reads the coverages quick and gets the ball out of his hands quick. And so that's the thing. If he reads man, he's going to, they have different man beaters. I think it's a combination with the coach and the play caller. If you have a team that runs a lot of man, they're going to make sure they have their man beaters inside of their play so they might make checks within the play. So I think again, it's part of the chess move. It's like, 'Do you have the right check, against the right defense, that can hopefully get you in the right play and be successful.' So hopefully we have the same."
Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald on competing against the 49ers:
"The past is the past. Obviously, they got us the first game this year. It's about just playing good football for four quarters, finding a way to win a game, being stout in the run, obviously getting out of the stack in certain screens, tackling, wrapping up, little things that we can do to correct that. I felt like the first time we faced them this year there were one or two plays that we wish we would've got back. So, that's on us as a defense."
