SANTA CLARA – Two NFC playoff teams met at Levi's Stadium on the final Sunday of the 2023 regular season in a game that had a bit of a preseason feel, and the 49ers saw their 12-game winning streak against NFC West opponents extended ended with a 21:20 defeat against the Los Angeles Rams.
The loss also ended the 49ers' (12-5) nine-game regular-season winning streak against their neighbors to the south.
Although the Rams' playoff spot was still uncertain entering the game, coach Sean McVay opted to rest some of his top players without much concern about whether they would enter the NFC next week as the No. 6 or No. 7 seed would go to the postseason.
The 49ers would have sat out all of their best players after the No. 1 seed was selected, but due to injuries and roster limitations, coach Kyle Shanahan opted to have many of the team's starters suit up and get a sweat before playing as the backups .
Here are three takeaways from the 49ers' Week 18 game:
I'm looking forward to the postseason
The 49ers' only real goal on Sunday was to best prepare for the playoffs in two weeks.
Although seven of the team's nine Pro Bowl players were eligible for the game, Shanahan wanted to get them out of the game as quickly as possible.
Both teams stuck to basic game plans on defense and refrained from making many shifts and movements on offense. Finally, there's a chance these teams could meet in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs in two weeks.
One area of concern from the game was sideways movement from rookie kicker Jake Moody, who missed a 38-yard field goal attempt and an extra point. It was Moody's first missed PAT this season after converting 60 straight times.
The 49ers enter the postseason with legitimate concerns about their rookie kicker.
The 49ers also left the game with an injury problem: Defensive end Clelin Ferrell made his 17th start of the season but suffered a knee injury on the first drive, leaving his status for the postseason uncertain.
Pro Bowl quarterback Brock Purdy wasn't even the team's emergency No. 3. He showed up 4 1/2 hours before kickoff for an early morning workout.
And NFL scoring leader Christian McCaffrey was sidelined with a mild calf strain, although he said he could have played Sunday and did play if the game had mattered. But the 49ers already had the No. 1 seed, so he had no reason to play.
Tight end George Kittle and linebacker Dre Greenlaw were not among the team's seven inactive players, but both were ruled out for the game before the opening kickoff. Kittle had back spasms and Greenlaw was sidelined with Achilles tendonitis, the team announced.
Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams played the first series of the game, but he called it quits after the 49ers' 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive.
At the start of the 49ers' second series, Jaylon Moore replaced Williams at left tackle.
Darnold is making his first start with the 49ers
Quarterback Sam Darnold made the 56th start of his six-year NFL career and his first as a member of the 49ers.
On the day, he completed 16 of 26 pass attempts for 189 yards with one touchdown pass and no interceptions. Darnold's 5-yard touchdown pass to rookie Ronnie Bell gave the 49ers a 20-7 halftime lead.
He also rushed for a touchdown with a 1-yard quarterback sneak.
Darnold looked solid in his first extended action against Shanahan's offense. When Darnold signed with the 49ers in March, it was unclear whether Brock Purdy would be available to start the regular season after elbow surgery.
Darnold beat out Trey Lance as a backup, which led to him trading the former No. 3 overall draft pick for a fourth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Purdy never gave Darnold a chance to play, as the second-year pro started the first 16 games of the season and played at an MVP level for most of the season. Purdy threw for a franchise-record 4,280 yards with 31 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. His passer rating of 113.0 was the best single-season mark in 49ers history.
As part of the incentive-packed contract Darnold signed, he was to receive a $300,000 bonus for every game in which he appeared in 25 percent or more of the team's offensive snaps in a 49ers win.
An opportunity to shine
First-year safety Tayler Hawkins, who spent the last two seasons on the 49ers' practice squad, was called up to make his NFL debut on Saturday. His first career interception came in the second quarter when Carson Wentz's pass was deflected off the hands of Rams wide receiver Tutu Atwell.
Hawkins was needed due to injuries to starting safeties Tashaun Gipson and Ji'Ayir Brown. Experienced Logan Ryan started alongside Hawkins.
The 49ers lost All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga to a torn ACL earlier this season, although he is expected to be ready for the opening of training camp in the summer of 2024.
Defensive coordinator Steve Wilks raved about Hawkins during training camp, but the safety spent much of the season on injured reserve due to a hand injury. The 49ers re-signed him to the practice squad on October 24th.
He originally signed with the 49ers as an undrafted rookie in the spring of 2022 after playing in 46 games in four seasons at San Diego State.
Late in the first half, Hawkins delivered a hard, legal hit to Rams tight end Brycen Hopkins with an incomplete third-down pass.
Defensive end Robert Beal, a fifth-round pick from Georgia, earned his most playing time in his rookie season. After seeing action in just three previous games and playing 15 defensive snaps, Beal received his first career sack.
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