They’ve won the NFC West easily, now three games ahead of the second-place Rams. They won the top seed in the conference, too, thanks to losses by the Eagles and Lions.
There’s not much to play for if you’re the San Francisco 49ers in Sunday’s game against the Rams, which means coach Kyle Shanahan can be expected to be generous with the days off in Week 18.
But he’s not yet saying if that generosity will extend to quarterback Brock Purdy.
Purdy still has an outside chance at winning the NFL’s MVP award, though recent play from Lamar Jackson and the Ravens has probably sealed the ward for him. That’s a reason for him to play. There is also the matter of continuity and keeping Purdy sharp. The 49ers will have a bye week to open the playoffs, meaning they won’t play until January 20.
It could be too much to ask Purdy to come back and be in top form after three whole weeks off, which is reason for him to play on Sunday.
On the other side, there is the risk of injury. That alone might be enough to convince Shanahan to keep Purdy sidelined.
One thing that Shanahan made clear, though: He is not clear on what he is going to do.
“I don’t have that plan yet. We’re still discussing all those things,” Shanahan said on Monday.
Brock Purdy Still Needs to Gain Experience
It is tempting for a coach to rest his star quarterback in the final week of the season, if all the team’s playoff bases have been covered.
That 49ers’ bases have been covered—they will be at home throughout the playoffs heading into the Super Bowl. Problem is, Purdy is not like most star quarterbacks.
The way Purdy was thrust into the limelight last season and managed to thrive has been crucial to the 49ers success this year, both because it means the team has gotten top-level quarterback play all year and because Purdy, the final pick in the 2022 NFL draft, is very cheap. That has allowed the 49ers to bulk up elsewhere.
But it also means that Purdy is lacking experience. He has just 21 games as a starter under his belt, and though he started two playoff games last year, he only finished one—he was injured against the Eagles in the first quarter of the NFC championship game.
The 49ers can’t afford to miss a chance to give Purdy experience against a good and surging team like the Rams, a team the 49ers could see in the playoffs. But, again, they can’t afford to have him get hurt against an aggressive and talented defensive front. The Rams tallied six sacks against the Giants in Week 17.
Tricky Decisions for 49ers in Week 18
For Shanahan, it is a delicate balance, wanting to give players rest and avoid injuries but making sure they’re still ready for action when the team does, finally, get back on the field. And by easing up in Week 18, it’s not just the 49ers game itself that is affected—it’s practice, as well.
“I think it can be tough, but it’s not just playing, it’s how much you practice and everything too,” Shanahan said. “You’ve got to make sure that you prepare for games by practicing. We’ve got a game this week on Sunday. When you give guys the game off, practice changes too. That can end up hurting guys a lot and you end up just developing bad habits. I’ve seen it cost a lot of teams.”
That will be on the 49ers coach’s mind when he decides about Brock Purdy in Week 18.
“It always can end up hurting,” Shanahan said. “You rest players and that sometimes gets more players injured. That’s all that stuff you’ve got to balance out and that’s why there’s not a clear-cut decision on anything. You’ve got to look at each individual, in each situation and play it out as the week goes.”
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49ers’ Kyle Shanahan Addresses Brock Purdy’s Status for Week 18