Sunday, the Los Angeles Rams enter Levi’s Stadium having won six of their previous seven games.
There’s no shame in the fact that their lone defeat during that span was at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens in overtime.
Though not exactly an NFC West matchup, the Rams could be a serious threat to the 49ers in the future rather than this week.
Many of the Rams’ best players, including quarterback Matthew Stafford, are sitting. Additionally, the 49ers have made the decision to not take any chances with Brock Purdy, the Pro Bowl quarterback.
“We’re probably going to play this team in two weeks.” said Kyle Shanahan, “the 49ers’ coach. Thus, I believe that both sides will be rather standard. If there’s too much, I’d be shocked.
“We’re going to play smart because every game impacts the next one.”
Last week, the 49ers (12-4) secured the top NFC seed. The 49ers will have a bye in the first round of the playoffs following their Week 18 matchup on Sunday.
It’s likely that on Saturday, January 20, they will kick off the postseason at Levi’s Stadium.
The Rams (9-7) will either be the No. 6 or 7 seed in the NFC after securing a postseason berth.
The following five 49ers are worth watching on Sunday:
5, K. Jake Moody
This season, rookie kicker Jake Moody has been flawless on field goals and extra points, save for a two-game stretch.
In field goals this season, he is 21 of 24. After missing a 40-yard field goal against Minnesota on October 23, he has now made 11 straight field goals. Moody had a terrible stretch of play after missing a game-winning 41-yard field goal against the Cleveland Browns with seconds remaining the week before.
Apart from that, Moody, who replaced Robbie Gould in his rookie campaign, has performed admirably. In general, he has performed admirably on kickoffs and is flawless when inside 40 yards.
This season, Moody has converted all 58 extra-point attempts. Since the line of scrimmage was reverted to the 15-yard line for point-after-touchdowns, he holds the 49ers record for the most consecutive extra points made in a season. When the kick became a 33-yard attempt in 2015, the 49ers had not had a kicker miss an extra point for an entire season.
4, DT Sebastian Joseph-Day
Sebastian Joseph-Day, a rookie, has a chance to establish a big role for himself in the postseason because Arik Armstead has been sidelined for the past month and the replacements aren’t always stepping up on base downs.
In Week 17, Joseph-Day only saw 11 snaps of action against the Washington Commanders due to his considerable transition to a new defensive scheme.
“We want him to perform some completely different tasks,” 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan stated. He has been playing with two gaps, and his stances and style are very different from ours.
“I found him to be impressive. He fulfilled all of our requests and was prepared to leave.”
To show that he can help the 49ers come playoff time, Joseph-Day should see a lot more playing time on Sunday.
3, RB Jordan Mason
Jordan Mason carried 43 times for 258 yards and one touchdown in 16 games as a rookie. Despite getting fewer carries in 16 games this season (34 for 170 yards), he still managed to score three touchdowns.
Mason is likely to see the most playing time and rushing attempts of his young career on Sunday.
Christian McCaffrey, a running back for the Pro Bowl, will miss time due to a mild calf strain, but he said he is fine after leaving the 49ers’ Week 17 game against Washington.
Mason and Elijah Mitchell, who emerged as the team’s top rusher following McCaffrey’s departure from the game last week, are expected to share the carries on Sunday.
Mason ought to get plenty of chances to touch the ball and make plays on Sunday, as the 49ers most likely do not want Mitchell to log workhorse-level carries.
2, QB Sam Darnold
While it appears doubtful that Sam Darnold will get a chance to start this offseason, he should have interest from a number of teams when he becomes a free agent.
He will make his first start on Sunday since the conclusion of the 2022 NFL season because the 49ers don’t want to take any chances with Pro Bowl quarterback Brock Purdy prior to the postseason.
There is no question Darnold has all of the physical tools to get the job done. But he never has really been in a good offensive system. Darnold will not have Christian McCaffrey or all of the pass-catching targets around him.
Still, if he can properly go through his reads, there should be open receivers for him throughout the game.
This is an opportunity for Darnold to set himself up in the best possible situation for next season.
1. DT Javon Kinlaw
In lieu of the injured Arik Armstead, defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw has started the last four games. Over that time, the 49ers have encountered some challenges stopping the run.
The 49ers have given up 468 rushing yards on 90 attempts for an average of 5.2 yards in those four games. Over the first 12 games of the season, San Francisco’s run defense allowed just 3.8 yards per carry to the opposition.
Pro Football Focus has Kinlaw rated with the lowest grade against the run of anybody on the team. As he completes the final year of his rookie contract, Kinlaw needs to play better in the postseason in order to help the team reach its goals and better set himself up for next season.
The Rams plan to run the ball a lot between the tackles, even though they have chosen to sit out star running back Kyren Williams. Kinlaw must maintain leverage and avoid giving up significant yards through his gap.
Regarding the Rams, Shanahan remarked, “their run game is where they’ve improved the most.” “This run game is on par with any in this league.”