The San Francisco 49ers didn’t have much to play for against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, but they did want to prevent rookie receiver Puka Nacua from making history.
The game between the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday didn’t mean much to either team because the former had already clinched a playoff spot and the latter had secured the top seed in the NFC.
The 49ers, on the other hand, came into the game with a single goal in mind: to prevent Rams receiver Puka Nacua from breaking the rookie receiving record. The Rams were resting most of their stars in preparation for the playoffs, with the exception of Nacua, who was on the verge of breaking rookie records for receptions and receiving yards.
Of course, Nacua set records, finishing his outstanding rookie season with 105 receptions for 1,486 yards. After that, coach Sean McVay immediately removed him from the game.
“Oh, yes. “Our goal was to keep him going throughout the game,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters. “But we knew it would be difficult. We knew he only needed one more catch and one more yard, but we gave it everything we had.”
Shanahan believes he is far from the only coach who would do something like this, which prompted him to make the decision.
