San Francisco are the favorites to lift the Superbowl this season after clinching the number one seed in the NFC.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan is trying to keep his players grounded ahead of their week 18 clash at home to the Rams.
"I think it can be tough," Shanahan told reporters on Monday, "but it’s not just playing, it’s how much you practice and everything too. You’ve got to make sure that you prepare for games by practicing. We’ve got a game this week on Sunday. When you give guys the game off, practice changes too. That can end up hurting guys a lot and you end up just developing bad habits."
As Ed Sheeran famously sings, “bad habits lead to late nights".
“I’ve seen it cost a lot of teams. Also, it does give some guys a chance to get healthy. When you do that and you sit people, then some of the names you guys mentioned [like Brock Purdy and Trent Williams], but then other people have got to double up and do a lot more because you only get two guys off a practice squad also."
The 49ers also have the added distraction of two potential MVP candidates in quarterback Brock Purdy and running back Christian McCaffrey.
“If you want to get more than two off practice squad, we’ve got to cut people on a roster and then we don’t get those guys, just to get those guys up. So, it always can end up hurting. You rest players and that sometimes gets more players injured. That’s all that stuff you’ve got to balance out and that’s why there’s not a clear-cut decision on anything. You’ve got to look at each individual, in each situation and play it out as the week goes."
The 12-4 San Francisco team will be out to end the regular season on a high, and with the MVP race so tight Purdy and McCaffrey will start.
The key is to find a balance of rest and recovery ahead of the playoffs and a run to the final.
