49ers vs. Rams: Full San Francisco Game Preview

At 2-5, the San Francisco 49ers' 2015 season is quickly going nowhere fast as the team gears up for a Week 8 road contest against another NFC West foe, the St. Louis Rams (3-3).

San Francisco is coming off a 20-3 loss on Thursday Night Football to the Seattle Seahawks—a game in which the 49ers offense was once again stagnant and nonexistent in a lackluster effort. This unit ranks dead last in the NFL in both total points (103) and all-purpose yards (2,069).

Hopes of the offense climbing out of its early season rut seem dashed now, and San Francisco will limp into a contest against a Rams defense averaging just 19.8 points per game.

Much of the focus will continue to be on quarterback Colin Kaepernick, and specifically on what type of game he'll have against a formidable St. Louis defense playing at home. The 49ers have yet to win a road contest this season, and Kaepernick's woes against Seattle could easily carry over into Week 8.

San Francisco may have lost its chance to figure a way into the postseason. Yet this bout will carry major significance, as the 49ers cross the halfway point of the regular season and try to determine how to move forward in what has been a pretty awful year.

Let's break down this NFC West showdown and take a look at some key focal points in advance of the game.

Location: Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Missouri

Time: 1 p.m. ET

TV: Fox

The Seattle Seahawks continue to be the hurdle over which quarterback Colin Kaepernick cannot climb.

Seattle's defense shut down almost everything Kaepernick tried to do in Week 7, and it appeared the 49ers signal-caller was more inclined not to make mistakes rather than make things happen.

Kaepernick finished the contest with a mere 81 passing yards and never attempted a rushing attempt—the first time in his pro career. The entire offense had just 142 all-purpose yards and had more punts (nine) than first downs (eight).

The quarterback's inconsistencies have led to some internal squabbles, as described in the B/R video above.

And whether or not the 49ers will continue with Kaepernick following the 2015 season is going to be a hot topic for the remainder of the campaign.

Defensively, San Francisco was able to generate enough pressure against a suspect Seahawks offensive line to generate five sacks of quarterback Russell Wilson. San Francisco also picked him off twice, but these efforts weren't enough to keep Seattle from netting 20 points on offense and 388 total yards.

This may have been a low-scoring affair, but the 49ers' efforts made it seem like a blowout. 

Locker Room Concerns over Kaepernick?

Earlier this week, Fox Sports' Jay Glazer reported that quarterback Colin Kaepernick wasn't connecting with teammates inside the locker room and was essentially "on an island." While Glazer didn't name the players who were upset with the quarterback, he did mention Kaepernick's apparent isolation from his teammates.

Head coach Jim Tomsula later refuted Glazer's claim via Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News. Tomsula also ended up describing what happened in a "heated" players-only meeting that took place a few weeks ago.

According to Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area, this meeting featured a disagreement over Kaepernick, with one player calling out the quarterback and another coming to his defense. Tomsula elaborated:

The biggest thing I said to them was, "Guys, it’s like an Italian dining room table, OK? Everyone is sitting around the table, and sometimes it gets heated, dishes get broke and people leave. But everybody’s got to come back to the table to eat. OK?"

When it’s all said and done, there’s hugging and kissing, and we’re eating good food again. OK? I mean that with all due respect. I’m saying that complimentary.

The meeting may address the issue right now. But it won't answer ongoing concerns whether or not Kaepernick will be San Francisco's quarterback in 2016 and beyond. That question is, perhaps, better answered in the above B/R video.

Jed York Questionably Silent

The 49ers lost yet another Thursday night game to the Seahawks and by a similar deficit compared to the Thanksgiving game a year ago (19-3).

Fans recall what happened after that contest. San Francisco CEO Jed York sent out his infamous postgame apology tweet, which in turn fueled the eventual rift between the front office and then-head coach Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh would be released almost immediately following the 49ers' final game of 2014.

Now, Tomsula and the 2015 49ers stand at 2-5 and have dropped yet another lackluster contest against a division rival.

York's silence is deafening, especially considering the CEO stated last December to hold him "directly responsible and accountable for it."

York's Twitter account has yet to be graced with anything like what happened nearly a year ago.

Jerome Simpson Activated and Antoine Bethea Placed on IR

Wide receiver Jerome Simpson finished his six-game suspension and was placed on the 49ers active roster, according to ESPN's Adam Caplan (h/t CBS Sports).

In order to make room for Simpson, the 49ers were forced to place veteran safety Antoine Bethea on injured reserve after he suffered a pectoral injury during San Francisco's Week 7 loss. Rookie safety Jaquiski Tartt will most likely assume starting duties.

Simpson will be tasked with helping out a beleaguered offense ranking next-to-last in passing yards (1,298). 

Safety Antoine Bethea's season-ending injury means an increased workload for rookie safety Jaquiski Tartt, who is also listed as questionable with a head injury.

Provided Tartt is unavailable, the 49ers would likely slide fellow defensive back Jimmie Ward over into the starting spot alongside fellow safety Eric Reid.

According to David Fucillo of Niners Nation, center Daniel Kilgore likely won't be ready to go right away despite being eligible to return to practice. And it's feasible San Francisco will stash him for the remainder of the season if the team-wide woes continue.

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick is dealing with a swollen thumb, and running back Carlos Hyde continues to nurse his foot injury. It would be surprising not to see either player suit up for action in Week 8.

49ers Front Seven vs. Todd Gurley

Rams running back Todd Gurley has enjoyed a promising start to his pro career and leads St. Louis with 442 rushing yards and two touchdowns. He's averaging 6.0 yards per attempt, so it's safe to assume the Rams will rely heavily on him during this contest.

San Francisco's defense is allowing an average of 4.0 yards per carry—16th in the league—and is coming off a Week 7 in which Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch totaled 122 yards on the ground.

The 49ers have a plus-3.8 grade against the run according to Pro Football Focus, so San Francisco's defense may have a slight edge in this area, provided the execution is there.

49ers Secondary vs. Nick Foles

One of the few positives emanating from the 49ers' defensive efforts against the Seahawks was the ability of the secondary to force two interceptions from quarterback Russell Wilson.

Cornerback Kenneth Acker has been promising in his development and is tied for the team lead with three interceptions along with fellow corner Tramaine Brock.

Coverage has been a problem for San Francisco's secondary this season and, with the pass rush faltering, the 49ers are faced with a PFF grade of minus-19.7 on the season. St. Louis' offense will look to exploit this.

Yet quarterback Nick Foles doesn't exactly have the best numbers against San Francisco. 

Last season, the 49ers picked off Foles twice, and the quarterback settled for a 42.3 passer rating during the game. 

But that San Francisco defense was vastly different compared to the one gracing the field in Week 8.

49ers O-Line vs. Aaron Donald and Robert Quinn

The Rams have been piling up the sacks in 2015, and the 49ers are more than prone to giving them up.

Defensive linemen Aaron Donald and Robert Quinn have combined for 8.5 sacks on the season, and the Rams defense ranks No. 3 in the league with 23 sacks. As a unit, St. Louis' defense boasts a plus-31.3 pass-rushing grade according to PFF.

On the flip side, San Francisco has already allowed 25 sacks over seven weeks—fourth-most in the NFL.

With a minus-12.6 PFF grade in pass protection, it's easy to see how the efforts to keep Kaepernick upright could be a recipe for disaster.

49ers X-factors of the Week: The San Francisco Defense

OK, so calling the entire 49ers defense an X-factor in Week 8 may be a little vague. But any 49ers victory will likely be contingent on the defense's abilities to shut down a fellow lackluster offense.

San Francisco's offensive stats may be bad, but St. Louis' aren't much better. Whereas the 49ers rank last in the league in total points scored and all-purpose yards, the Rams enter the contest at No. 31 in each respective category.

And the 49ers aren't last in passing offense. They rank No. 31 with 1,298 yards through the air, while St. Louis is dead last here with 1,066.

St. Louis does boast a much better defense, however. So the eventual outcome will be determined by whether or not the 49ers defense can match up with what the Rams are likely to do on the other side of the ball.

As stated previously, limiting Gurley will be a primary focal point. And forcing some turnovers from Foles certainly would help.

San Francisco's defense has enjoyed some promising efforts this season. Weeks 1 and 4 were good examples of what the defense can do when it's playing up to par.

Can this unit replicate those efforts on the road?

Odds Shark currently lists the Rams as 9.5-point favorites Sunday, a listing certainly influenced by St. Louis' solid 24-6 victory over the Cleveland Browns in Week 7.

Combine that with the Rams' home-field advantage and San Francisco's recent woes, and it's easy to see why St. Louis is favored.

Offensively, both the 49ers and Rams rank out pretty even—right at the bottom of the NFL. But St. Louis does have a defensive edge over San Francisco over seven weeks. If the 49ers are unable to effectively move the ball on offense and continue to remain in a first-down drought, it's only a matter of time before San Francisco's own defense is worn down and exposed.

The first half of this game figures to be a low-scoring, relatively boring spectacle to watch, as both teams try to discover some offensive rhythm. And factoring St. Louis' pass-rushing prowess against a 49ers team struggling to protect its quarterback spells more problems.

The Rams could start to break away after the half, while the 49ers offense will continue to falter.

The outcome may still be a one-score margin, but it's hard to see San Francisco coming away with a road victory, given all its issues on both sides of the ball this season.

The Rams have the edge here.

Prediction: 49ers 13, Rams 21

All statistics, injury reports, records and accolades courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com and ESPN.com unless otherwise indicated.

Peter Panacy is a Featured Columnist covering the San Francisco 49ers for Bleacher Report. Follow him @PeterPanacy on Twitter.