The San Francisco 49ers are back on the right track as they have won two games in a row.  They need this game to sew up the #2 seed in the NFC Playoffs and a first round bye.  The Rams have lost six games in a row, but they have been really awful in their last four games.  In their last four games, the Rams have been shutout twice and they have been beaten by a combined score of 103-26 in those games.  The Niners shut out the Rams just four weeks ago, 26-0 in San Francisco.   Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the 49ers have the ball:  The 49ers want to get the competitive part of this football game done early, so that they can rest some starters.  With that in mind, look for the Niners to be more balanced than usual.  They will still pound Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter against the Rams’ D which is allowing 154.5 yards rushing per game and 4.9 yards per carry.  The Niners must protect Alex Smith well, so that he can take some shots down the field to Michael Crabtree and Kyle Williams.  It would probably be smart of the Niners to get TEs Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker more involved in the offense this weekend.

When the Rams have the ball:  The Rams are going to run the ball a lot with Steven Jackson, so the front seven of the Niners will need to tighten up the chinstraps.  The Niners will try to get after QB Kellen Clemens in an effort to force him into making some mistakes.  WR Brandon Lloyd and RB Steven Jackson are the only two receivers the Niners are likely concerned with stopping this weekend.

PREDICTION:  49ers 27, RAMS 3

The San Francisco 49ers are on a roll as they have won their last six games in a row by a combined score of 149-74.  The Giants are also hot right now as they have won their last three games by a combined score of 71-61.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the 49ers have the ball:  The 49ers are going to feed the ball to Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter in this game as the Giants are allowing 127.1 yards rushing per game and 4.6 yards per carry.  The Niners better hope that they get the running game going so that they can slow up the Giants’ pass rush.  The Giants have 28 sacks already this year, so Smith is going to have to get rid of the ball quickly this Sunday.  The Niners have been throwing the ball more down the field lately to WRs Michael Crabtree and Braylon Edwards.  Don’t be surprised if Vernon Davis is the main man in the passing attack this weekend.

When the Giants have the ball:  The 49ers are going to have to get after Eli Manning as the Giants have turned into a pass first team this year.  If Manning has time to throw the ball, the Niners could be in some trouble as WRs Victor Cruz, Mario Manningham and TE Jake Ballard were making huge plays in the passing game last weekend.  Brandon Jacobs is getting another start at RB for the Giants this weekend, so there are going to be some big time collisions between the LBs.

PREDICTION:  49ERS 20, GIANTS 17

The 49ers picked OLB Bruce Miller out of Central Florida with the 211th overall pick (7th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Miller is 6’1″, 248 pounds and he runs a 4.84 40.  Miller was a defensive end in college and his motor always runs hot.  The 49ers envision possibly converting him to fullback instead of outside linebacker, and he might be excellent at that job opening up holes for Frank Gore.  Miller will also likely be a standout on special teams for the Niners.  Miller played in 14 games (all starts) for Central Florida last year and he had 63 tackles, 13.5 tackles for a loss, 8.5 sacks, batted down 2 passes, forced 2 fumbles and he had 2 interceptions which he returned for TDs.  Miller played in 53 games (47 starts) in his four years in college and he had 219 tackles, 57.5 tackles for a loss, 35.5 sacks, he batted down 9 passes, forced 6 fumbles and he had 3 interceptions (2 returned for TDs).

The 49ers drafted 23-year old WR Ronald Johnson out of USC with the 182nd overall pick (6th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Johnson is 5’11″, 186 pounds and he runs a 4.5 40.  Johnson is a pure slot receiver as he would likely get handled easily outside by corners.  He does run good routes and he catches whatever hits his hands.  Johnson played in 13 games (12 starts) for USC last year and he caught 64 passes for 692 yards (10.8 avg) with 8 TD grabs.  He played in 47 games (20 starts) in his four years with the Trojans  and he caught 138 passes for 1,750 yards (12.7 avg) with 20 TD grabs.  Johnson also has value as a punt returner, so this was likely a solid pick for the 49ers.