The San Francisco 49ers are set to face the Los Angeles Rams in primetime for "Monday Night Football." Here's what both teams had to say ahead of the Week 4 matchup:
Niners Liners
Head coach Kyle Shanahan on the team's success when establishing a run game:
"Yeah, I think when you look at our team, when we've won the most and won the most consistently is when we've ran the ball the best. Haven't turned it over. I think that's what we've done when we've always won, so there's other ways you need to be able to win, which I think we've found a way to do that, but that's the thing you set out to do."
Shanahan on home field advantage for "Monday Night Football":
"I always sense home field advantage, I think home field advantage has to do with one thing. It has to do with the other team can't jump off the ball as fast. That's why I believe that home field advantage is more real in football than most sports. Not that I know a lot about other sports, but that's what makes sense to me because cadence is a big deal and when you can't hear the quarterback it does always give the other team an advantage. I think our stadium's been real loud and every time we play in our stadium we feel we have an advantage."
Shanahan on the Rams dynamic defense:
"They don't change much. It just gives them a few more options. (LB) Bobby (Wagner)'s a middle linebacker who is also a very good pass rusher, so each week they can play him at different positions. It's the same thing they do with (DB) Jalen (Ramsey). Jalen, sometimes he's a corner, sometimes he's a nickel, sometimes he's their three-four edge backer in a nickel front. They do that with everybody, now they can do it with Bobby. They don't put him at corner, but it's just switching people up, testing your rules, all that stuff, which it's tough when they have those guys out there, how they mix it up."
Shanahan on Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford:
"Matt does such a good job of getting rid of the ball. Regardless, it's hard to get to him. But anytime you can make teams more one dimensional, you get a lead like Buffalo did, it's a lot harder to get away without having those sacks."
Shanahan on getting a win against the Rams:
"I feel like a win's important. I would love to get a win and then we'll see how we play the next week."
Defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans on the Rams wide receivers corps:
"I think with that, (Los Angeles Rams WR) Allen Robinson II, he's a really good player for them, but with them adding him, he's been a good add for them. And also, it's the (Los Angeles Rams WR) Cooper Kupp show, like no matter how you try to slice it up, whether the guys are doubling, whatever it is, the guy finds a way. I think the connection and chemistry with him and Stafford is one of the best I've seen in the league in a long time. Those guys are always in sync and they're always on the same page, which makes it tough as a defense to defend those guys because they're so good, they're so precise at what they do that they make it a really tough challenge."
Ryans on the Rams offense:
"Offenses are always changing. They always have their wrinkles, but I think every offense has their staple. Staple in the run game, staple in the pass game and then you have wrinkles off of that, so I think (Los Angeles Rams head coach) Sean (McVay) and those guys have done a really good job of being really good at the things they do, but also throwing the wrinkles in to keep you off guard and keep you off balance as a defense, so those guys do a great job. Much respect to those guys and the way they operate."
Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo on if it feels like a long time since he's played against the Rams:
"It does and then you watch the film and it all comes right back to you and you start replaying those things in your head and putting yourself in those situations again and it's like riding a bike, you're right back to it."
Garoppolo on if it helps to play against a team that he knows well:
"Some things are good about that. Other things, they know us inside and out. We know them inside and out and so at the end of the day, it's going to be man-on-man. You have to win on your one-on-one battles and let the rest take care of itself, but we got to come in with the right mindset and be ready to play."
Tight end George Kittle on playing against the Rams on "Monday Night Football":
"It takes a little bit of extra focus. This is a pretty awesome rivalry, especially in the years that I've been here. I know we won six, they won the one that really matters and it's definitely going to be a fun one this year. "Monday Night Football," big stage, Levi's® Stadium, fans are hungry, players are hungry, that's going to be a good one."
Kittle on how physical games are against the Rams:
"It's going to be a dog fight out there, honestly. That's what these games always come down to. It's a lot of rushing attempts, a lot of physicality and seeing who can hold on to the ball the longest."
Rams Quotes
Rams head coach Sean McVay on the 49ers:
"I think the main thing is they're a really good football team. They've done a good job. Which year do you want to talk about? We could talk about all those different games, but I think at the end of the day what it boils down to is they've played well, they've made the plays in crunch time... But I think the ultimate thing that's really important for us is each game is its own separate entity. They've always been a good, tough, physical team that has great players, great coaches in all three phases and that's why we've always had such respect for these guys. I think there's just a little bit different story. But we know that this game is going to be different than the other ones. We've got to be able to show up, play well in that three hour window, or three and a half hours, however long it takes. That's what our focus and concentration will be solely focused on. No different than when we had to play them for the third time last year."
McVay on 49ers defensive lineman Nick Bosa:
"I think he's one of the best players in the league. He's complete. They do a great job of accentuating his skill sets, moving him around in some of the pass downs. Obviously, I think he's a complete player. He does a great job being able to stop the run, he's physical at the point of attack, he can be able to work edges on you, he can play violent with his hands. There's not any limitations in this guy's game. I think when you talk about one of the best players in a short amount of time, I thought he asserted himself immediately as a rookie. You could see he was going to make a big impact early on before he ended up hurting his knee a couple years ago. Last year he was a man on a mission and did a great job throughout the whole season, and then he started off the same thing this year."
McVay on the strengths of 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr.:
"Contact balance. He's strong, he's elusive. You just look at him, he's wired to be able to separate and run routes all over the place because he is an elite receiver, but he's also built like an elite running back. I think the thing that stands out is the toughness and the contact balance and then just the feel. There's certain guys that just have a great feel for space. I think he stays grounded through the catch on their perimeter screen game, but he's just a great football player. If you were to say like, 'Alright, what makes a great guy after the catch in terms of the elusiveness, the toughness, the strength, the contact balance,' he's checking the boxes on all those things."
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford on the 49ers defense:
"I mean, they're really complete. They do a great job of affecting the quarterback in the pocket, do a great job of stopping the run, keeping a roof on the defense. Nobody's really gotten behind them so they do a really nice job of that. Really well-rounded defense, super physical, really well-coached. It'll be a big challenge for us."
Stafford on what he expects for "Monday Night Football":
"It feels like a big one. Every game in the NFL is a big one. A division game on the road, Monday night, it's going to be big. Obviously, we saw them in the NFC Championship Game. So it's two really good football teams going at it, had some great battles last year, and we're looking forward to the opportunity."
Stafford on the matchup between San Francisco and Los Angeles:
"They know us, we know them. We've just go out there and play. They've got great players. I feel like we've got great players. So it's always a fun matchup I'm sure for people to watch. It's a fun one for us to be in as players. Just go out there, execute to the best of our ability, play physical and fast. Figure out what the scoreboard says at the end of it."
Rams linebacker Bobby Wagner on stopping the 49ers run game:
"They're going to move their star players around. They've got guys that can move around all positions, obviously going to get Deebo the ball. So I think it's the same team. Just got to come out and stop the run and get after him in the pass."
Wagner on Garoppolo:
"He knows how to get the ball to the right people, he knows how to get the ball out fast when you've got blitzes coming and he understands when the blitzes are coming. He's very smart, he can communicate. So you've got to respect a guy like that."
Wagner on Samuel:
"Man, he's just really, really talented. He can move around everywhere. He's in the backfield, lining up as a receiver, they motion him into the slot. So the first job is you've got to find where he is at and after that, he is one of the tougher guys to bring down when he does get the ball. So that's why you've got to have a lot of respect for him too."
Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris what "Niners week" means to his team:
"Playing these guys, man, it's Niner week. That means a lot around here. That means a lot and for the two franchises, probably more so us than them, but they definitely had our numbers the last couple of times, except for the most important one, which we got the bragging rights right now. They're going to come in with a little chip on their shoulder."
Rams offensive coordinator Liam Coen on the 49ers defense:
"It's a very, very fundamentally sound, physical unit that we're going up against and obviously very skilled. They have a ton of first round draft picks. They have a ton of developmental picks that they've had that have really kind of developed throughout the last couple years. So yeah, it's definitely a challenge for sure."
Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald on the importance of a divisional game:
"This is a divisional game, so it's important. Anytime you're in a divisional game, you want to continue to be the top dog. You know what kind of game it's going to be, physical game, and we've got to get after them."
