With lineups that did not feature heavy doses of either team's starters, the 49ers lost to the Los Angeles Rams 21-score on the final day of the NFL season.
There was nothing to play for from San Francisco's standpoint, while the Rams were playing for the sixth versus seventh seed (depending on the results of other games). The win means the Rams will head to Detroit, for a storyline-riddled matchup between Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff.
Here are four takeaways from a relatively meaningless game that had some entertaining subtext:
The starters who played
Kyle Shanahan did not lie. The 49ers played quite a few more players than most people expected.
San Francisco went with their starting offensive line, including the 35-year-old, all-world left tackle Trent Williams.
Williams, at least, was relieved after the opening drive touchdown to Elijah Mitchell. It was the first time Sam Darnold got a chance to start a game behind Williams, which may partially explain Williams' involvement.
Also starting were receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. Both stayed in the game until the fourth drive of the second quarter (with less than seven minutes remaining), as did fullback Kyle Juszczyk.
On defense, it was even more surprising. Aside from the injured Arik Armstead, San Francisco went with its starters. Nick Bosa, Javon Hargrave and Clelin Ferrell (plus Chase Young) all started, along with Fred Warner, Deommodore Lenoir and Charvarius Ward. Ferrell was ruled out early in the game with a knee injury, which is worth monitoring.
Ward was beat for a touchdown (and committed defensive pass interference) by Puka Nacua, on a catch that tied him for the rookie record for receiving yards in a season. More on that below.
While Warner played just one series, Bosa remained in until the end of the first half, as did Ward. By the third, Bosa, Ward, Lenoir and Hargrave were done.
Aside from Ferrell, it appeared that the starters who were involved got through the game healthy.
Jake Moody... ruh roh
The most concerning part of Sunday's loss? Jake Moody's shaky performance.
Despite generally good numbers this season, Moody has not looked rock solid. His kicks have often had a tail on them and snuck in the uprights.
Against the Rams, Moody was a mess. He missed a 38-yard field goal, which was his first miss inside 40 yards on the year. He also missed an extra point for the first time this season.
Per Kristina Pink, Shanahan's response when asked if he was concerned about Moody's missed kicks were, "Uh, yeah. He's missed two. Hopefully he doesn't miss any more."
In a game the 49ers lost by a point, those are game-altering misses. They will magnify any kick he takes in the playoffs - an already nerve-wracking test for a rookie.
They also mean that the Rams face the Detroit Lions instead of the Dallas Cowboys, which could benefit the 49ers or haunt them. It's obviously much better from a storyline perspective, with Matthew Stafford returning to Detroit to face Jared Goff.
Petty vs. Puka
One of the most entertaining storylines Sunday was the 49ers versus Puka Nacua.
He beat Ward for that early touchdown, which tied him for the rookie single-season receiving record. But he was still a yard and two receptions shy of breaking the yardage and receptions record.
It was glaring how badly the Rams wanted to get him the ball and get him off the field. But the 49ers were intent on preventing it. They double-teamed him in a variety of ways at the end of the first half. It left Nacua laughing heading into the locker room and Sean McVay frustrated.
It didn't take long in the third quarter, though, for Nacua to break the records with a pair of short receptions that allowed McVay to let out a fist pump and exasperated "get him out."
Nacua's back-to-back catches broke Bill Groman's 1960 record of 1,473 receiving yards and Ja'Marr Chase's 2021 record of 104 receptions. Groman did it in 14 games to Nacua and Chase's 17 games.
Even if you're a 49ers fan, Nacua's embrace with his mother was a sweet moment. The delay in him securing the record at least made things uncomfortable McVay.
Some firsts (and some backup QB auditions)
Does Sam Darnold versus Carson Wentz get your blood pumping? To clarify, this is the year 2023, not 2019.
Both of those guys were auditioning for better opportunities next offseason. They're in a similar tier of guys who you'd feel good about as your backup and pretty uncomfortable if they're your starter. They might be hoping for those jobs where a team pays a backup fairly well before drafting a quarterback.
To their credit, both played pretty darn well. When the 49ers were down by a point, Darnold threw a great ball to Ray-Ray McCloud for what would have been a field-changing play. Rams safety Russ Yeast broke it up, and did the same to Chris Conley on the ensuing drive. After finding Conley for a first down on the next play, he tried to scramble and fumbled the potential game-winning drive away.
Wentz ran the ball 15 times which, hilariously, is the most for a Rams quarterback since 1950. Here's how their lines looked:
Sam Darnold: 16-of-26, 189 yards, 1 TD. 7 rushing attempts, 19 yards, 1 TD.
Carson Wentz: 17-of-24, 163 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT. 17 rushing attempts, 56 yards, 1 TD.
This was a game for the other guys: the ones who don't get opportunities throughout the course of the season.
Perhaps the most prominent name was Tayler Hawkins, who had a Troy Polamalu-esque interception in his first career game, along with an impressive pass breakup. He also had a pass interference call on a Rams lead-taking drive. He allowed a 2-point conversion catch to Tutu Atwell in a play that gave Los Angeles the lead.
In other firsts, rookie defensive end Robert Beal Jr. secured his first career sack. If Ferrell misses any time, Beal could be called upon in the playoffs.