The San Francisco 49ers have clinched the NFC’s No. 1 seed and have nothing to play for in this Sunday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. Due to this, they will be resting several key players in their regular-season finale, including quarterback Brock Purdy.
Brock Purdy Sits Out Week 18
San Francisco has secured home-field advantage and a first-round bye. On Wednesday, head coach Kyle Shanahan shared definitive news on Purdy, and that he will not be suiting up for the final game of the season in preparation for the 49ers’ Divisional Round matchup the weekend of Jan. 20.
“Brock is the only guy I know for sure I don’t plan on playing,” Shanahan said. “You can rest seven guys if nobody is hurt if you get two practice squad guys up. We have at least six guys injured right now, so I only know for sure we can rest one. I went with our starting quarterback.”
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The Rams will be making a similar move ahead of the matchup. Los Angeles head coach Sean McVay also announced that Matthew Stafford would not play in Week 18.
The Rams are currently the sixth seed, and with no scenario that allows them to elevate their playoff position beyond the NFC’s No. 6 spot, the regular-season finale is also lower stakes.
With both starting quarterbacks ruled out, it will be Carson Wentz under center for the Rams and Sam Darnold leading San Francisco’s offense.
“We’re treating this as a normal week, so this is a normal week for this time of year, which means we go half-speed on everything,” Shanahan said. “Brock will get half reps with the ones, and Sam will get the other. I want our team to treat this as Brock going down on the first play of the game. That’s why I want them both repping it.
“I want Brock to get some work this week, and that’s something I would like us to be ready for if that unfortunately did happen. Thursday when it’s all full speed, we’ll probably give Sam the majority of them. We’ll talk about that after today. Friday, we are back to walkthrough.”
The players echoed those sentiments as they opened the practice week.
“Our mindset is to prepare like a normal week, try and hone in,” defensive lineman Nick Bosa said. “We could see them down the road, so whatever advantages we could get from this week is important.”
Purdy has had a strong season and is a favorite to win NFL MVP. So far this season, he’s completed 69.4% of his passes for 4,280 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.
Additionally, star running back Christian McCaffrey will miss Sunday’s matchup with a calf injury.
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