SANTA CLARA — The Los Angeles Rams roll into Levi’s Stadium on Sunday with six wins in their past seven games.
Their one loss during that time was an overtime loss at the Baltimore Ravens, so there’s no shame in that.
But this is not exactly an NFC West showdown, although the Rams could pose a big threat to the 49ers -- not this week, but down the line.
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The Rams are sitting many of their top players, including quarterback Matthew Stafford. And the 49ers have decided to take no chances with Pro Bowl quarterback Brock Purdy, either.
“There's a good chance we’re playing this team in two weeks.” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “So I think both sides will be pretty vanilla. I'd be surprised if there's too much stuff.
“Every game affects the next game so we're going to be smart how we do everything.”
The 49ers (12-4) wrapped up the No. 1 seed in the NFC last week. After Sunday’s Week 18 game, the 49ers will have a bye for the first round of the playoffs.
San Francisco 49ers
They most likely will open the postseason at Levi's Stadium on Saturday, Jan. 20.
The Rams (9-7) have clinched a playoff spot and either will be the No. 6 or 7 seed in the NFC.
Here are five 49ers to watch in Sunday’s game:
5, K Jake Moody
With the exception of a two-game stretch this season, rookie kicker Jake Moody has been perfect on field goals and extra points.
He is 21 of 24 on the season on field goals. He has made 11 field goals in a row since missing a 40-yarder against Minnesota on Oct. 23. That proved to be a brutal stretch for Moody, who missed a game-winning 41-yard attempt as time expired the previous week against the Cleveland Browns.
Other than that, Moody has been good in his rookie season after taking over for Robbie Gould. He generally has done a good job on kickoffs, while being perfect from inside 40 yards.
Moody has made all 58 extra-point attempts this season. He has the 49ers' record for most consecutive made extra points in a season since the line of scrimmage was moved back to the 15-yard line for PATs. The 49ers did not have a kicker go an entire season without missing an extra point since the kick first became a 33-yard attempt in 2015.
4, DT Sebastian Joseph-Day
With Arik Armstead out of action for the past month and the fill-ins not necessarily picking up the slack on base downs, there is an opportunity for newcomer Sebastian Joseph-Day to earn a significant role for himself in the postseason.
Joseph-Day played just 11 snaps in Week 17 against the Washington Commanders, as he is making a significant adjustment to a new defensive scheme.
“We’re asking him to do some totally different stuff,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “The style that he's played with two gaps and his stances are just kind of the opposite of what we do.
“I was impressed with him. He was ready to go and did everything we asked.”
Joseph-Day should see a lot more playing time on Sunday in order to prove he can be a benefit to the 49ers when the playoffs begin.
3, RB Jordan Mason
In 16 games as a rookie, Jordan Mason carried 43 times for 258 yards and one touchdown. Although his carries dropped in 16 games this year (34 carries for 170 yards), he scored three touchdowns.
On Sunday, it seems like a good bet that Mason will get the most playing time and rushing attempts of his young career.
Pro Bowl running back Christian McCaffrey will be held out of action, though he said he is just fine after leaving the 49ers’ Week 17 game against Washington with a mild calf strain.
Mason figures to split the carries on Sunday with Elijah Mitchell, who ended up as the team’s leading rusher last week after McCaffrey left the game.
The 49ers probably do not want Mitchell to take on workhorse levels of carries on Sunday, so Mason should have plenty of opportunities to touch the ball and make plays.
2, QB Sam Darnold
It seems unlikely that Sam Darnold will get a starting opportunity this offseason, but he figures to have multiple teams interested in him in free agency.
On Sunday, he will get his first start since the end of the 2022 NFL season, as the 49ers want to take no chances with Pro Bowl quarterback Brock Purdy before the start of the playoffs.
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
Defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw has started the past four games in place of injured Arik Armstead. The 49ers have experienced some difficulties defending the run during that period of time.
In those four games, the 49ers have surrendered 468 rushing yards on 90 attempts for a 5.2-yard average. San Francisco's run defense held the opposition to just 3.8 yards a carry for the first 12 games of the season.
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.
Although the Rams have decided to sit out top running back Kyren Williams, they figure to run the ball a lot between the tackles, and Kinlaw has to maintain leverage and keep from giving up big yards through his gap.
“Where they've improved the most is how much their run game's going,” Shanahan said of the Rams. “It's as good as any run game in this league.”