The St. Louis Rams rode an increasingly familiar formula on Sunday: Suffocating defense and impact plays from Todd Gurley en route to a 27-6 win over the San Francisco 49ers. Here's what you need to know:
- I have seen the future of the running back position and his name is Todd Gurley. The Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite had a 71-yard touchdown run and finished with 133 yards on 20 carries, his fourth-straight game with at least 120 yards on the ground. All the comparisons to a young Adrian Peterson are apt: You get the feeling a big play is coming every time Gurley touches the ball.
- Colin Kaepernick avoided the killer turnovers that have defined his lost season, but he continues to look like one of the worst quarterbacks in football. Operating without any semblance of a running game, Kaepernick threw 41 passes and completed less than half of them with a yards per attempt average of 4.0. That's life in the dreaded Gabbert Zone. Speaking of Blaine Gabbert, how much longer can Jim Tomsula wait before giving his backup a shot?
- Tavon Austin might be in the midst of his long-awaited breakout season. The third-year wide receiver scored two touchdowns on the day -- his fifth and sixth of the year -- and continues to look like the fastest human on any field he inhabits. One of the few players in football who can make the bubble screen exciting.
- With Carlos Hyde (foot) out and Reggie Bush (knee) injured early after slipping on the concrete that inexplicably lines the field of the Edward Jones Dome, the 49ers were reduced to relying on Mike Davis and Kendall Gaskins to move the ball. They combined for 10 yards on 15 carries. Bring back the Hayne Plane!
- Back to Kaepernick: This tells you everything you need to know about where Kaepernick is at as a quarterback in 2015. He's locked into a doomed play, only he can't see it ... or the wide open receivers on either side of him. Good grief.