Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay hinted earlier in the week that the team may rest a majority of their starters for the 2017 NFL season finale versus the San Francisco 49ers.The decision has since come to fruition with running back Todd Gurley and defensive tackle Aaron Donald among the notable names set to sit out this Sunday.
While it is always difficult for any player to essentially be held from competing on a weekly basis, there are tremendous expectations for the Rams beyond the regular season. Fortunately, McVay was able to get the players to understand the move, according to ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez
“Everything that we do is intentional and designed to be the best for our team and for our players,” McVay said. “I think they understand that. I know sometimes people may not always agree, but when situations like this come up, we talk about it. It’s a nice luxury to be able to have, but you want to make sure you handle it the right way for our team.”
Despite their recent slew of injuries down the final stretch, Los Angeles has had the benefit of being one of the healthiest teams in the league. That said, it would be best for the Rams not to try and test their luck in a game with little playoff implications.
Aside from Gurley and Donald, other notables that will be cheering from the sideline will be quarterback Jared Goff, left tackle Andrew Whitworth, and linebacker Mark Barron. Meanwhile, one can expect heavy workloads for quarterback Sean Mannion, running back Malcolm Brown, and linebacker Cory Littleton.
