The San Francisco 49ers will try and maintain their comfortable lead atop the NFC West when they take on the division-rival St. Louis Rams at Candlestick Park Sunday. The 49ers, which hold a two-game advantage in the NFC West, are …

San Francisco (6-2) comes out of its bye week having won two straight games—a 13-6 decision against Seattle in Week Seven and a 24-3 dismantling of the Arizona Cardinals two Mondays ago. The 49ers' momentum can't be matched by the Rams. St. Louis (3-5) has lost its last three games, capped by a 45- 7 shellacking at the hands of the New England Patriots in London.

St. Louis and quarterback Sam Bradford should benefit this week with the return of Danny Amendola. The Rams' No. 1 wide receiver leads the team with 32 receptions and two touchdowns, despite having not played since Week Five because of a collarbone injury.

The 49ers are led by a defense that is allowing an NFL-low 12.9 points a game and a running game that also leads the league at 168.6 yards a game. Defense and a strong running game has long been a recipe for success in the NFL and it's been no different for this year's 49ers.

San Francisco swept the two matchups between these two teams a season ago, though its worth noting Rams' quarterback Sam Bradford played in neither. The 49ers won 26-0 at home as 14-point favorites and beat the Rams in St. Louis 34-27 while failing to cover as a 12.5-point favorite.

While the Rams have struggled through the first half of the season, they are a solid 3-1 against the spread in road games. The debacle in England was obviously unsettling for St. Louis, but head coach Jeff Fisher has made a career of teaching teams to be resilient and the 49ers aren't designed to blow teams out. Look out for the Rams to keep this one close and within the line.