3 Takeaways from 49ers' Week 18 Loss vs. Rams
The San Francisco 49ers were competitive in their regular-season finale against the Los Angeles Rams.
That is all head coach Kyle Shanahan could have asked for with a majority of his top players on the sidelines resting for the playoffs.
San Francisco fell by a point to the Rams, who needed a win by their backups to confirm the No. 6 seed in the NFC.
The 49ers might see the Rams in the divisional round, and if they do, nothing from the Week 18 matchup can be applied to that matchup.
Most importantly, the 49ers did not suffer any major injuries and now it has a full week off to prepare for whomever emerges as the lowest-seeded winner from the NFC wild-card round.
Good on Field Work for Sam Darnold
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Week 18 had a preseason feel to it for the 49ers because they secured the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC in Week 17.
Sam Darnold was okay in his reserve role in place of Brock Purdy.
The former New York Jets and Carolina Panthers quarterback threw for 189 yards on a 16-for-26 day and also ran for 19 yards on seven carries.
Darnold also fumbled on two occasions. He lost one of them and recovered the other.
Darnold's average performance was enough to be competitive in a Week 18 game against an opponent's reserves, but not good enough to have trust in a backup quarterback in a postseason game.
The 49ers hope they do have to deal with another Purdy postseason injury this season, but if that unfortunate situation pops up, at least Darnold earned some reps in Week 18 and will not be completely cold off the bench.
Elijah Mitchell Finds Success on Ground
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Elijah Mitchell's 14-carry, 52-yard performance is probably the most important offensive takeaway from Week 18.
Mitchell looked strong in his reps as the No. 1 running back. It was nice for him to find the end zone and build up some confidence ahead of the postseason.
Christian McCaffrey is still the primary ball carrier, but having Mitchell in reserve for a potentially run-heavy game is good for the 49ers.
Mitchell can provide a small change of pace out of the backfield and he may be valuable in third-down and red-zone situations over the next month.
Jordan Mason also earned six carries on 36 yards, but if he used at a high rate in the postseason, the 49ers will be in injury trouble.
Mitchell's performance meant the most to the 49ers' chances of possessing the deepest offense possible on a Super Bowl run.
Solid Afternoon for Some Defensive Reserves
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Isaiah Oliver and Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles stood out the most on the 49ers defense.
Each player recorded 10 tackles. All of Oliver's 10 takedowns were of the solo variety, while Flannigan-Fowles led the team with three tackles for loss.
The two high-tackling performances were nice to see on a day where not much could have been learned about the 49ers.
The San Francisco defense contained Carson Wentz to 163 passing yards. The concession drops to 122 yards if you take out Puka Nacua's record-chasing first quarter.
The 49ers turned in a decent defensive showing despite the loss, and the next time we see them, they will have a full-strength defense on the field in the divisional round.
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