The San Francisco 49ers missed out on an opportunity to wrap up their first
NFC West title in nine years last week, but they should have a better chance to
celebrate Sunday.

The 49ers welcome the last-place St. Louis Rams to Candlestick Park as they
try to become one of the league’s first teams to clinch a playoff berth.

San Francisco (9-2) went into Week 12 needing a win at Baltimore on
Thanksgiving and a Seattle loss on Sunday to clinch the NFC West with nearly a
third of the season still to play. The Seahawks lost 23-17 to Washington, but
all that did was help the 49ers maintain their five-game division lead after
falling 16-6 to the Ravens.

That defeat also ended an eight-game win streak, the team’s longest since an
11-game run in 1997. Alex Smith was sacked a franchise record-tying nine times
as the 49ers finished with a season low for points and yards (170).

“The men put a lot into it. They were disappointed,” coach Jim Harbaugh
said. “They’ll bounce back. This is a team that’s a resilient team, and we’ll
learn from it.”

San Francisco will try to get back on track by clinching its first
postseason berth since winning the NFC West in 2002. If the 49ers lose to St.
Louis (2-9), they can still wrap up that spot with losses from Seattle and
Arizona.

“It’s a big deal. It’s a step. We may be ahead on the chip count, but we
don’t have a seat at the final table,” Harbaugh said. “We need to focus on this
game. We need to do everything we can to physically, mentally, emotionally
prepare for this game because we know that the St. Louis Rams will be doing the
same thing.”

The Rams enter looking to recover from back-to-back division losses.

The league’s worst rushing defense, giving up 159.0 yards per game, allowed
another record-setting performance Sunday just five weeks after letting Dallas’
DeMarco Murray(notes) scamper for a rookie franchise-record 253 yards.

Beanie Wells(notes) ran for a Cardinals-record 228 on Sunday, and his 53-yard
sprint in the fourth quarter set up the decisive field goal in Arizona’s 23-20
win.

“You have to forget about it and move on, but as a competitor they’re going
to really get under your skin,” Rams linebacker James Laurinaitis(notes) said. “I hate
losing, I hate losing, and am never going to get used to losing. … Nobody
should in this locker room, in this organization.”

The 49ers will certainly hope to see Frank Gore(notes) shake his recent struggles
and continue to exploit St. Louis’ run defense.

Since his franchise-record streak of five games with 100 or more yards
ended, Gore has just 127 yards over his last three games – though nagging knee
and ankle injuries haven’t helped.

Gore has averaged 96.3 yards in his seven career starts against the Rams and
scored at least one touchdown in six of those. Gore, though, missed the most
recent matchup Dec. 26 because of a hip injury, and the 49ers had a five-game
win streak in the series snapped with a 25-17 loss.

St. Louis’ Sam Bradford(notes) passed for 292 yards and a pivotal fourth-quarter
touchdown while breaking the NFL’s single-season record for completions by a
rookie. The 49ers fired former coach Mike Singletary following that defeat,
paving the way for Harbaugh to come over from Stanford.

San Francisco has won three straight home games over the Rams and seven of
nine, but needed overtime to prevail in the most recent matchup in San Francisco
last November.

Michael Crabtree(notes) caught a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter of that win,
and he might need to step up again in this game with Braylon Edwards(notes) still
dealing with knee and shoulder problems.

Edwards said he’s had his playing time limited in recent games because of
the injury but hopes to be 100 percent for the playoffs.

“I’ve been hurt. I had knee surgery. Now I have a bad shoulder,” Edwards
said. “I haven’t ever had a season where I’ve been hurt, with the exception of
my rookie year. This is all new to me. It’s very frustrating, but I ask the team
to bear with me.”

The Rams, meanwhile, are hoping to get receiver Danario Alexander(notes) back from
a hamstring injury that’s caused him to miss the past five weeks.

Steven Jackson and the Rams offense were at their best during the three-game stretch against the Saints, Cardinals and Browns. The Rams went 2-1 during those games and Jackson was the main reason why.

In those games, Jackson averaged 27 carries for an average of 139 rushing yards per contest.

In the last two games, both Rams losses, Jackson has had 15 and 17 carries for 42 and 64 yards, respectively.

That’s not enough. In order for the Rams to compete with the 49ers they must run the ball well and control the clock. Jackson may not get to 100 yards against the NFL’s top-ranked rush defense, but by giving him 25-plus carries the Rams best utilize the weapons they have.

Read More: Brandon Lloyd (WR – STL), Denver Broncos, St. Louis Rams

According to Joseph Alper of Pro Football Talk, the St. Louis Rams will be sending a 5th Round draft pick to the Denver Broncos to consummate their trade-deadline deal to acquire WR Brandon Lloyd.

Lloyd, who started the year with the Broncos, led the NFL in receiving yards in 2010 when he played under then-head-coach Josh McDaniels. Now reunited with McDaniels, the offensive coordinator of the St. Louis Rams, Lloyd has once again found considerable receiving success, racking up almost 400 yards and 4 touchdowns through just six games with the Rams.

When Lloyd — now at 31 receptions — caught his 30th pass, the Rams became obligated, as stipulated by the terms of the trade, to send the Broncos a 5th Round pick instead of a 6th Round draft pick.

For more updates and news on all St. Louis sports, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis. For more on the Rams and the NFL, head over to SB Nation Pro Football.

Mt. Carmel’s 15-year-old Tyra Buss, daughter of Tim and Kelly
Buss, won the girls 14-15 age division of the NFL Punt, Pass and
Kick St. Louis Rams Team State Championship held on Sunday at the
Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.

The NFL Team Championship was held prior to the St. Louis Rams vs.
Arizona Cardinals game.

Tyra is one of 32 NFL Team Champions vying for a trip to the
National Competition which will be held in January. The top four
scorers from the NFL Team Champions will advance to the National
Competition. Finalists will be notified by the NFL at the end of
December.

This was Tyra’s last appearance in the NFL Punt, Pass and Kick
competitions.

Tyra’s highlights are:

Eight straight years as Local and Sectional Champion. Eight
consecutive appearances at St. Louis Rams Team Championship.
National Runner up in 2009. Four 1st place Team Championships,
three 2nd place Team Championship finishes and one 3rd place
finish.

She holds several records at the St. Louis Ram’s Team
Championship:

Record for returning state finalist with eight consecutive
appearances; most State/Team Championships with four; record for
overall score in two different age groups; record for the longest
pass in two different age groups and record for the longest punt
and kick in one age group.

Mt. Carmel’s Madi Merritt, daughter of Mike and Julie Merritt,
finished third in the girls 8-9 year old division, while Blake
Golden, the son of Dan and Jody Golden, placed fourth in the boys
12-13 year old division.

Over 3.5 million boys and girls ages 6-15 nationwide participate in
the NFL Pepsi Punt, Pass and Kick program.