Can the visiting 6th-seeded San Francisco 49ers stop the Los Angeles Rams again

It was back on Jan. 6 when chances of the San Francisco 49ers defeating the state-rival Los Angeles Rams for a sixth-straight time were dim.

The Rams, on their sparkling-new SoFi Stadium field, were up 17-0, and looked completely in charge. But the Niners hung around until they tied the score at 17-all and sent the tilt into overtime.

There, LA won the flip of the OT coin as San Fran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo called “tails,” and it turned up heads. But after the Rams failed to score a game-winning touchdown, the possession went over to the fired-up visitors, they turned it into a TD and the latest frustrating defeat to the City by the Bay was now at number six.

Now, they are back at the Los Angeles ballpark in Inglewood, and on Sunday it’s the winner returning here to play in the Feb. 13 Super Bowl, with the Rams having a second-straight chance to win the big game at home after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did so last season.

Los Angeles, the 4th-seed after winning the NFC West regular-season title in a division that also advanced the faltering Arizona Cardinals to the postseason.

The Cards, who were in front of the division in part one of the campaign, were then eliminated by the Rams on a first-ever Monday night playoff contest, while LA and San Francisco won their two remaining games, the 6th-seeded Niners with big road wins at 3rd-seeded Dallas and at NFC top-seeded Green Bay.

These rivals, about a 30-minute flight from Northern California, match up superbly, with both offenses relying heavily on all-pro receivers in the Rams’ Cooper Kupp and the 49ers’ Deebo Samuel, who also doubles as a crafty rushing threat, and both defenses built around elite, dynamic pass rushers.

But if Los Angeles (14-5) doesn’t overcome the San Francisco maddening mastery over it, all their big moves will end in checkmate.

Both head coaches, Sean McVay of the Rams and Niners’ head coach Kyle Shanahan, are best of friends, and both share respect for both teams.

San Francisco (12-7) feels a related urgency heading back to SoFi Stadium. In fact, it might owe its entire season to its domination of the Rams. The Niners were 3-5 and going nowhere when they routed Las Angeles in mid November to kick off their current 9-2 surge.

Garoppolo is in his final contract year. Rams’ starter Matt Stafford spent all his years quarterbacking the hapless Detroit Lions until he was dealt to the west coast franchise, and he has paved the way in his initial campaign there, with San Francisco the exception.

Now Shanahan has won seven of his 10 meetings with McVay in their concurrent half-decade of coaching. Preparing for this showdown was no challenge for either one, and they say execution will win the NFL championship, not trick plays or surprises.

The San Francisco formula for beating the Rams has been fairly simple. The 49ers generate four-man pressure from their vicious defensive front to slow LA’s offense. When they have the ball, Garoppolo executes a quick-hit passing game to avoid the Rams’ vaunted pass rush while exploiting Los Angeles’ unimpressive linebackers and safeties in coverage.

McVay and his players know all of this. Whether they have any correct answers for the same test they’ve failed twice this year will be revealed Sunday in game two of the doubleheader that is scheduled for a 4:30 p.m. kickoff.

The Niners will become the first team to play 12 games in a single season on Sunday. Each time they played in Inglewood, they brought many of their own fans, and now they are hopeful of a repeat.

“Hopefully,” said San Francisco veteran kicker Robbie Gould, who booted the game-winning field goal at Green Bay, “We will have a sea of red down at SoFI and turn it into Levi’s South, the home field of the 49ers.”

But the ball does take funny bounces and the Rams say they are prepared to turn things around and return home for the Super Bowl that would pack the place with their fans.