LANDOVER, Md. – Coach Kyle Shanahan won't be able to rest every player who could use a break at this point in the season.
But the fact that the 49ers clinched the NFC's No. 1 playoff spot on Sunday with one game left in the regular season is exactly what the doctor ordered.
“It’s huge,” Shanahan said after the 49ers’ 27-10 victory over the Washington Commanders.
“The last few weeks we've been a bit confused. There were a few positions where we were very thin. The boys had to assert themselves in several places. Hopefully this will help the people who did this.”
Running back Christian McCaffrey is likely at the top of the list of players who can use the next three weeks to refresh.
McCaffrey suffered a strained right calf in the third quarter on Sunday.
“I’m not sure what happened,” he said. “It was pretty minor. I found it difficult to push myself away. And as a precaution, it would be better to just let it rest.
“I will always play when I can. I think it was just a small thing and a smart move, especially because I didn't know what was going to happen next week. I didn’t want to go in there and make it worse.”
Replacing McCaffrey, Elijah Mitchell took over and finished with a game-high 80 yards and a touchdown on 17 rushing attempts.
“We think he’s going to be OK,” Shanahan said of McCaffrey. “I don't know if he'll be able to go next week or not, but we'll have to find out more tomorrow.
“He moved well on the sidelines. We hope it’s not that bad, but we’ll know more tomorrow.”
The 49ers have coached McCaffrey hard this season. He leads the NFL with 1,459 rushing yards and 272 carries. He also has 67 receptions for 564 yards. McCaffrey has 14 rushing touchdowns and seven more scoring catches.
San Francisco's win, coupled with losses to the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles in Week 17, means the 49ers have secured the No. 1 seed with a 12-4 record.
The 49ers finish the regular season next weekend at Levi's Stadium against the Los Angeles Rams, who are en route to the No. 6 seed in the NFC.
The first playoff game in San Francisco will take place on either Saturday, January 20th or Sunday, January 21st.
Since they are the No. 1 seed in the playoffs, Shanahan faces the challenge of how to approach the game against the Rams.
The 49ers have limited options on their 53-man roster. The team can promote a maximum of two players from its practice squad to fill spots on its 48-man gameday roster.
“We'll definitely try to rest a few guys,” Shanahan said, “but you can't rest everyone. “It's too hard. You don’t have enough players.”
The 49ers kept five injured players out of their game against the Commanders on Sunday, including defensive lineman Arik Armstead, safety Ji'Ayir Brown and receiver Jauan Jennings.
In addition to McCaffrey, the 49ers will likely consider limiting the playing time of many of their top players, including Brock Purdy, Trent Williams, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Nick Bosa, Javon Hargrave and Nick Bosa.
Shanahan said those decisions will be made after the club's practices on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday against the Rams.
“We’re going to have a big week of practice,” Shanahan said. “I still think we can get better at a lot of things, and the only way to do that is by playing football and practicing football.”
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