How 49ers will approach final games after clinching division originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
The 49ers became the second NFC team to secure a playoff spot Thursday night with their division-clinching victory over the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field.
But even so, coach Kyle Shanahan isn’t taking his foot off the gas pedal with just three games to go in the 2022 NFL regular season.
He will, however, use measured caution with his team that already has suffered countless injuries this season.
“I think you have to be smart,” Shanahan said Friday via conference call. “I mean, you never just want to stop. You can’t lose your edge. It’s not something you can turn on and off.
“At the same time, you do need to be smart. It’s very important to get home games. So, we’ll do everything we can to do that, but by no means at the expense of risking someone that we shouldn’t be doing.”
The 49ers (10-4) currently hold the NFC’s No. 3 seed, behind the No. 2-seeded Minnesota Vikings (11-3). The Vikings need to stumble at least once over their last few regular-season games for the 49ers to have any hope of leapfrogging Kirk Cousins and Co. in the standings, and it’s imperative that San Francisco does all it can to win its final three games.
But figuratively speaking, the 49ers have somewhat of a limp heading into the postseason. Injuries have riddled the defensive line all season, and other position groups haven’t been safe, either. Stars like Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead have struggled through different injuries this season, to name just two, and Shanahan is happy for the long rest period after playing a Thursday night game on a short week.
“Oh, I think it’s huge. I mean, it’s imperative for anybody when you have to play that Thursday game,” Shanahan said Friday of the extra rest after a quick turnaround. “I mean, that’s one of the biggest challenges. I don’t think anyone can understand unless you had to go through it.
“But for those players to play Sunday like they did, and then turn around and play with the energy and aggressiveness that they did [Thursday night], it takes a lot on the body. So, just getting these rest days is huge, and we’re definitely going to take advantage of it.”
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The 49ers will need all the rest they can get ahead of their pursuit for the No. 2 seed.
And it’s on Shanahan to manage the delicate balance between winning and keeping his best players healthy for a potential Super Bowl run.