Sean McVay has decided to take the somewhat cautious route in terms of playing his starters in Week 18 against the San Francisco 49ers. With either the sixth or seventh seed locked up, the Los Angeles Rams will rest some key players on Sunday, but not all of them.
McVay announced on Wednesday that Matthew Stafford, Kyren Williams and Cooper Kupp will not play against the 49ers, and on defense, it’ll be Aaron Donald and Ernest Jones being held out for the final game of the season.
Carson Wentz will get the start in Stafford’s place, while Ronnie Rivers and Royce Freeman are likely to be the replacements for Williams. Rookie Zach Evans could presumably get some run in the finale, too.
Puka Nacua’s name was not mentioned by McVay, which means he’ll have a shot to break two single-season rookie records. He needs four catches and 29 yards to set the NFL records for the most receptions and receiving yards by a rookie.
Kobie Turner will also get a shot to break Donald’s rookie sacks record for the Rams, needing only a half-sack to edge out the future Hall of Famer in franchise history.