San Francisco (10-4) at Indianapolis (8-6)
Monday, 8:15 p.m. EST, ESPN.
BetMGM NFL odds: 49ers by 6.
Against the spread: 49ers 9-5; Colts 8-6.
Series record: Colts lead 27-18.
Last meeting: Colts beat 49ers 30-18 on Oct. 24, 2021, in Santa Clara, California.
Last week: 49ers beat the Titans 37-24; Colts lost to the Seahawks 18-16.
49ers offense: overall (10), rush (25), pass (4), scoring (11).
49ers defense: overall (18), rush (12), pass (18), scoring (10t).
Colts offense: overall (8), rush (6t), pass (9), scoring (6).
Colts defense: overall (22), rush (6), pass (31), scoring (12).
Turnover differential: 49ers minus-5; Colts plus-2.
49ers player to watch
WR Jauan Jennings. After being slowed by injuries early in the season, Jennings has been back to last season’s form recently. He caught two TD passes in the last game to give him six in his last six games. If he catches a TD in a fourth straight game, he’ll tie George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk for the longest streak for the 49ers in the last 12 seasons.
Colts players to watch
RT Jalen Travis and LT Luke Tenuta. Travis, a rookie, made his first start last week in place of the injured Braden Smith. Tenuta could get his first career start this week — if LT Bernhard Raimann can’t play because of an injured elbow. While the 49ers rank last in the NFL with 16 sacks in 14 games, they could crank up the pressure against 44-year-old QB Philip Rivers. And it will be incumbent on the offensive line to play well Sunday.
Key matchup
San Francisco’s run defense vs. Jonathan Taylor. Since losing Fred Warner in mid-October, the 49ers have allowed five of eight opponents to rush for more than 100 yards per game including each of the last two weeks. They’ve allowed an average 105.1 yards per game. That means they’re likely to get a heavy dose of Taylor, who’s chasing his second league rushing title. The 49ers are likely to stack the line, daring Rivers to throw and the winner of this chess match likely wins the game.
Key injuries
49ers: WR Ricky Pearsall came out of last week’s game with injuries to his knee and ankle and is questionable this week. … San Francisco is hoping to get several players back this week, including LB Tatum Bethune (ankle), DE Sam Okuayinonu (ankle), LB Eric Kendricks (calf) and DL Yetur Gross-Matos (hamstring).
Colts: In addition to Smith and Raimann, it’s unclear whether two-time All-Pro CB Sauce Gardner will return from his strained calf. … Indy also could activate two-time Pro Bowl DT DeForest Buckner (neck). He started practicing last week and could finally be ready to play this week.
Series notes
Indy has won five straight and six of the last eight in this series. It also is unbeaten on the teams’ most recent home fields: The Colts are 2-0 at Lucas Oil Stadium and 1-0 at Levi’s Stadium. … San Francisco’s last win over Indianapolis came in November 2001 — the game that prompted then-Colts coach Jim Mora to go on his infamous “Playoffs?” rant. … These franchises played in a heavy downpour the last time they met. … Before the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, the 49ers and Colts were part of the NFL’s Western Conference from 1953-69 and the NFL’s Coastal Division from 1967-69.
Stats and stuff
The 49ers can clinch their fifth playoff berth in seven seasons with a win — or a Detroit loss. … San Francisco’s four-game winning streak is the longest for the team since a six-game streak in 2023. … The 49ers have run just five offensive plays when trailing during this winning streak. … Christian McCaffrey has 86 receptions and needs seven this week to break Roger Craig’s franchise record for a running back of 92 set in 1985. … San Francisco converted its first seven third-down attempts last week and ranks second in the league with a 49.2% conversion rate. … QB Brock Purdy has a 124.1 passer rating on third down this season for the best mark of any quarterback who has started this season. … San Francisco has scored four TDs and one FG on their six opening drives this season with Purdy at QB. … The Colts have slid out of playoff position after losing four straight and five of six. … Indianapolis has scored 20 or fewer points in all five of its losses this season. … Since opening the season by scoring 20 or more points in 11 straight games, Indy has not scored more than 19 in its last three contests. … Rivers played for the Colts in 2020, but never played in front of a crowd larger 14,100 that season. His last win came with Indy on Jan. 3, 2021. … Taylor entered Week 16 as the NFL’s leading rusher with 1,443, 28 more than Buffalo’s James Cook. Taylor needs 106 yards to pass Edgerrin James for the fifth-highest single season total in franchise history and 111 to pass James for fourth. … Tyler Warren needs nine yards receiving to break Hall of Famer John Mackey’s franchise record for a rookie tight end. Mackey had 726 yards in 1963. … Indy’s run defense is allowing 95.1 yards per game and has allowed the second-lowest percentage of opponents gaining four or more yards, which occur on just 39.6%of opponents’ carries. … Opposing quarterbacks also have an 86.2 passer rating, the ninth lowest in the NFL.
Fantasy tip
Taylor was the safe play most of this season, and he could be again Monday. But McCaffrey is on the kind of roll Taylor was earlier this season. Over the past four weeks, he has produced 424 total yards and scored six TDs.
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