NFC Championship stats to know Matthew Stafford must be smart Jimmy Garoppolo needs to get ball out quickly

Nearly three weeks ago, the led the 17-0, and San Francisco's postseason hopes were hanging on by a thread.Then, the 49ers Nick Young Jersey pulled off a ma sive comeback behind and have won two road playoff games, over the and , mostly in spite of him since.The Rams, meanwhile, followed that shocking collapse with a dominant win over Arizona and then narrowly avoided an even bigger collapse, pulling out a thriller over the .Now, with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line, they meet again. Here are the key areas for both teams in their third matchup. When I , I noted that Jimmy Garoppolo needed to get the ball out fast to beat a dangerous Rams pa s rush. Three weeks later, that still holds true. In the Week 10 win, Garoppolo took just 2.06 seconds to throw on average, his fastest this season. In Week 18, tasked with leading a big comeback, Garoppolo averaged 2.49 seconds to throw, still his fifth-fastest out of 18 games this season, including playoffs. This season, Garoppolo has averaged under 2.6 seconds to throw in seven games; the 49ers have posted a 6-1 record in those contests.Jimmy Garoppolo vs Rams This Season2.7 Seconds or Le s to ThrowOver 2.7 Seconds to ThrowCompletion percentage79%64%TD-Int3-10-1Succe s rate63%50%Pa ser rating122.559.3It also helps Garoppolo to get the ball out early because his receivers are terrific at turning quick, short throws into Brandon Ingram Jersey longer gains. The 49ers averaged 6.6 yards after the catch this season, tops in the league, and that number actually went up to 6.8 in the two games against the Rams. In the Week 18 matchup, the Rams defense mi sed nine tackles on pa s plays, their most all season. In Week 10, they mi sed eight such tackles, their second-most all season. Can you sense a trend? It's incumbent upon Garoppolo to get the ball to his playmakers.I'll also be interested to see how Garoppolo handles the blitz and if the Rams bring more blitzes. In the Week 18 game, when Garoppolo had much more to do than in Week 10, he struggled when Los Angeles brought at least five pa s-rushers.Jimmy Garoppolo vs Rams in Week 18BlitzedNot BlitzedTD-Int0-11-1Yards per attempt6.611.9Pa ser rating50.3109.8On paper, the 49ers are the perfect foil to and the rest of the Rams' offense. Stafford thrives when opponents blitz. But the 49ers blitzed on just 21.7 percent of opponents' dropbacks this season, the eighth-lowest rate in the league, and that number has actually dropped Nick Van Exel Jersey to just over 19 percent in the postseason. In the two meetings with the Rams this season, San Francisco blitzed on just 12.3 percent of Stafford's dropbacks.On the rare occurrences he was blitzed, Stafford made the 49ers pay.Matthew Stafford vs 49ers This SeasonBlitzedNot BlitzedDropbacks1071Completion percentage89%61%TD-Int2-02-4Yards per attempt12.45.8Pa ser rating158.161.3I'd be shocked if the 49ers blitz more than just a handful of time on Sunday. They really don't need to, and that's what makes them so good. This regular season, when the 49ers did not blitz, they still pre sured opposing quarterbacks on 30.4 percent of their dropbacks second-best in the NFL.Stafford does have a tendency to do too much in these scenarios: When not blitzed this season, Stafford's average pa s traveled 8.5 yards downfield, the fourth-highest number in the NFL. Of his four non-blitz interceptions against Magic Johnson Jersey the 49ers, three were ill-advised deep balls thrown at least 20 yards downfield, like this one: were up 17-0.Garoppolo threw a pick. then scored 17 points unanswered to tie it. get it back, Matthew Stafford throws a pick. Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) Stafford is a gunslinger by nature. The mentality that produces mistakes like the one above also produces game-winning moments like the one last week: 9 TO 10 TO SET UP THE WIN! Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) Give Stafford credit: After tying for the NFL lead with 17 interceptions in the regular season, he has not thrown a pick -- and has thrown just one interceptable pa s according to Pro Football Focus -- in the playoffs. On Sunday, the 49ers will sit back in coverage and hope he makes the same risky throws that cost the Rams both regular-season meetings. If he can avoid that, the Rams should Wilt Chamberlain Jersey be set up for succe s.
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