The 49ers were locked into the No. 1 seed, which meant their Week 18 game vs. the Rams had more to do with getting ready for the postseason than anything.
San Francisco wound up losing 21-20 at Levi’s Stadium.
While the game couldn’t affect the 49ers’ place in the standings, there were still a handful of things to take away from the contest. Here’s what we found:
The rest factor
The 49ers on their list of inactives had quarterback Brock Purdy as their only healthy scratch. However, tight end George Kittle and linebacker Dre Greenlaw both were on the sideline in street clothes and didn’t play. The rest of the team’s starters played sparingly and by the second half it was essentially all backups on the field on both sides of the ball. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said he wanted the team to stay sharp ahead of their first-round playoff bye, so they prepared as normal and most starters saw at least a little game action before taking the rest of the day off.
Same Darnold
Sam Darnold got his first start of the year with Purdy sitting out. It was an opportunity to showcase his growth with the 49ers. He was in a little bit of a tough spot behind a patchwork offensive line and without the team’s offensive weapons for most of the game, but he still completed 16-of-26 throws for 189 yards and one touchdown. He made a crucial mistake on the 49ers’ final drive though when he got careless with the ball during a scramble. The ball was dislodged, the Rams recovered, and the game was over. Overall Darnold looked okay and flashed some of the big-time physical talent that makes him tantalizing. A couple big drops kept his stat line from looking from looking markedly better, but the fumble at the end casts a pall over a mostly good day for him.
The kicker question
Jake Moody hasn’t had a ton of opportunities to kick field goals this year, and his lone game-winning try in Cleveland was one of his three misses this season heading into Week 18.
Sunday against the Rams he missed a 38-yard attempt – his first miss all year inside 40 yards. He also missed an extra point after starting 60-of-60.
It’s not that the misses on Sunday are the reason the 49ers’ kicking game is a question mark going into the postseason. His performance simply underscored the fact that what might be a key aspect of a playoff game is a sizable question mark for San Francisco.
Welcome to the NFL, Tayler Hawkins
Sunday didn’t mean much in the standings, but it was a huge day for second-year undrafted free agent Tayler Hawkins. The San Diego State alum appeared in his first-ever NFL game and got the start at safety for the banged up 49ers. He notched an interception early in the game on a tipped throw that only made it into Hawkins’ hands thanks to a brilliant diving play. He also had a big hit on an incompletion later in the game. It wasn’t a perfect outing, but it was clear Hawkins can play in the NFL after spending the last two seasons on San Francisco’s practice squad.
Backup backs
The 49ers’ backfield looks very good. With Christian McCaffrey out there was plenty of work for Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason. They both looked good in their work on the ground, combining for 88 yards on 20 carries. Mitchell punched in a touchdown while Mason averaged 6.0 yards per carry on six rushes. It’s clear San Francisco has plenty of depth in the backfield behind McCaffrey, and that could allow Shanahan to throw a couple curveballs at defenses come playoff time.
Streaks snapped
Two sizable 49ers streaks were snapped Sunday. The Rams ended a nine-game regular-season losing streak to San Francisco. They also ended a 12-game win streak by the 49ers over NFC West opponents. Fortunately for the 49ers the game didn’t carry a ton of meaning given they’d already clinched the No. 1 seed.
There may be a quick opportunity for the 49ers to start a new streak though. There’s a real chance they see the Rams again in their divisional playoff matchup.
