SANTA CLARA -- Never underestimate fans' impact on an NFL game, particularly when it comes to the Faithful's history of taking over SoFi Stadium when the San Francisco 49ers travel south to face the Los Angeles Rams.
By creating a numbers advantage in the stands, 49ers fans allow quarterback Brock Purdy and the rest of San Francisco's offense to communicate with minimal disruption -- a luxury that generally is atypical in NFL road games.
"I feel it's huge," Purdy said of San Francisco's fan advantage in Los Angeles. "For example, like last week going into Minnesota with the environment it was, our operation, our cadence and everything is completely different in how we rep it at practice. So, to be able to go down there and have our Niner fans show up and be able to use our verbal cadence and stuff, it's huge for us.
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"We're obviously ready for any situation if we do have to go on silent, but more than anything we're proud to be playing for the Niners. The Faithful show up and have our backs, especially down in L.A. So, we're excited for that, and it's nice going down there and being able to hear each other and communicate -- it's a big part of the game."
A 49ers majority is expected once again on Sunday, as Vivid Seat's Fan Forecast projects San Francisco fans will account for 62 percent of the specators in attendance at SoFi Stadium when the two NFC West foes clash in a Week 3 matchup.
The 49ers haven't just been good -- they've been dominant at SoFi Stadium, boasting an .800 winning percentage and an undefeated regular-season record since the building opened in 2020.
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While the overwhelming support on the road has its benefits, coach Kyle Shanahan also highlighted the added pressure that comes with performing up to standards in an environment that resembles a home game.
“When you do have a situation like we do when we go there and how we have so many fans show up, that’s only cool if you play really well,” Shanahan said Wednesday. “If you play really well and can kind of control the game, then it’s real fun. If not, it’s twice as disappointing.”
The 49ers enter Sunday's contest averaging 27.8 points and 382 yards per game during the regular season at SoFi Stadium.
The Rams' roster looks drastically different than the last time these two teams played, particularly on the defensive side of the ball with three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald out of the picture following his retirement this offseason.
Now, Los Angeles will lean on a cast of young defenders tasked with slowing down San Francisco's offense as it looks to rebound from a disappointing effort in Minnesota last weekend.
That challenge becomes even more difficult if the 49ers are able to leverage the fan advantage at their disposal -- a likely outcome given the San Francisco's track record at SoFi Stadium.
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