Kickoff: Monday, 8:30 p.m. ET
Line: San Francisco -3, Total: 44

The 49ers head visit the Rams on Monday night for a game that they can’t afford to lose.

San Francisco came away with a 22-17 home victory over Kansas City last week, and is now facing a St. Louis offense that looked good in a 34-28 loss to Philadelphia. The 49ers are allowing just 209.0 yards per game through the air (4th in NFL) and 73.8 YPG on the ground (5th in NFL), so it will be a tough matchup for Rams QB Austin Davis who is coming off of a huge 3-TD performance against Philly in Week 5. The 49ers are 9-2-1 SU in the past dozen meetings between these clubs, but the teams have split these games 6-6 ATS. However, San Francisco beat St. Louis by double-digits in both meetings last year, winning by a combined score of 58 to 24. Last year, the Niners were 6-0 ATS in road games after the first month of the season, and are also 10-2 ATS as a road favorite of seven points or less over the past three seasons. However, St. Louis is 6-1 ATS after having lost three of its previous four games in that span. The Rams could be without star RB Zac Stacy (calf), who was injured in the loss to the Eagles, but it appears both he and Niners TE Vernon Davis (back) will be able to suit up for this contest.

Will the 49ers extend their win streak to three games on Monday night? For the answer, connect to NFL Best Bets for all the StatFox Experts picks throughout the 2014 regular season and playoffs. The experts have been sizzling over the past three weeks, combining for a 33-13 ATS mark (72%). StatFox Scott is 83% ATS (10-2) in Best Bets during this timeframe, and 65% ATS (13-7) on the season, while StatFox Dave is 79% ATS in Best Bets during these three weeks to improve to 63% ATS (15-9) on the season. StatFox Brian has gone (70% ATS) (7-3) in NFL Best Bets since Week 3, and continues to roll in NFL Totals with an (80%) mark (12-3) for the season.

Since a disastrous 3-INT performance in a 28-20 loss to the Bears in Week 2, QB Colin Kaepernick (1,113 pass yards, 7 TD, 4 INT) has really stepped up his play. Over the past three weeks, he’s thrown four touchdown passes and only one interception. He’s taking much better care of the football and has also run the ball very well. He’ll need to use his legs when plays break down against a solid Rams’ secondary. Last season, Kaepernick threw for 442 yards (8.7 YPA), 3 TD and 0 INT in the two wins over St. Louis. RB Frank Gore (365 rush yards, 1 TD) has been running wild the past two weeks with back-to-back games rushing for at least 100 yards and he’ll get a lot of touches against the Rams, as the 49ers will try to control the tempo in this one. In the past eight meetings in this series, Gore has rushed for 626 yards (4.1 YPC) and 7 TD, which includes 153 yards on 7.7 YPC when he visited St. Louis last year. One player who will really need to turn things around is WR Michael Crabtree (25 rec, 246 yards, 2 TD), who was excellent in Week 2 and Week 3, but caught just six passes for 59 yards over the past two weeks. Crabtree is Kaepernick’s go-to-guy in the passing game and will need to be a more reliable player going forward. This 49ers' defense has been relentless all season (10 takeaways) and should make life on Austin Davis extremely difficult.

St. Louis fell to 1-3 (SU and ATS) after last week’s shootout loss against the Eagles. The Rams were down 34-7 at one point in the game, but QB Austin Davis (1,129 pass yards, 6 TD, 3 INT) would ultimately fall just short of rallying his team for a dramatic comeback win. Davis was 29-of-49 for 375 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. He did, however, lost two fumbles. Davis will now be up against a much better defense, so taking care of the ball will be crucial for this entire offense that has nine turnovers in four games this year. WR Brian Quick (21 rec, 322 yards, 3 TD) has emerged as a serious playmaker on the outside for St. Louis. He had five catches for 87 yards and 2 TD in the loss to the Eagles, and he should be able to use his size and speed to break open at least a few times against the 49ers. One player the Rams could really use is RB Zac Stacy (223 rush yards, 1 TD). Stacy is questionable for this game and if he doesn’t play, his powerful running would really be missed. Last year versus San Francisco, he carried the ball 19 times for 71 yards (3.8 YPC). Despite allowing more than 30 points in three different games this season, the Rams defense has been strong against the pass, They’re allowing an NFL-best 192.3 yards per game through the air, but also give up 152.5 rushing yards per game (29th in NFL). They could have a lot of trouble containing Kaepernick and Gore on the ground.