THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- With a wild-card spot clinched, the Rams will rest several starters on Sunday at the San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles coach Sean McVay said Wednesday.
Starting quarterback Matthew Stafford, running back Kyren Williams, wide receiver Cooper Kupp, defensive tackle Aaron Donald and linebacker Ernest Jones will all be held out of the Rams' season finale. Quarterback Carson Wentz will start in place of Stafford, and quarterback Dresser Winn will be elevated from the practice squad to be Wentz's backup.
McVay said wideout Puka Nacua, who is just 29 yards shy of breaking the NFL's rookie receiving record, will play.
"I think you'd like to be able to see him get an opportunity to do something special and then be smart with him," McVay said of Nacua.
Los Angeles is currently the No. 6 seed but could fall to the No. 7 seed with a loss and a Green Bay Packers win. McVay said he took into consideration what falling to the seventh seed would mean but that he didn't think playing all of his starters to maintain the sixth seed "was best for our team."
"I think when you look at the projections, I think they're excellent teams regardless," McVay said. "There's a couple layers to it, and when you look at it, what we just felt like was this approach is the best one for our team. You want to see guys go compete and do well, but that was what we felt like."
Wentz will be the fourth quarterback drafted first or second overall to start for McVay's Rams (Stafford, Jared Goff, Baker Mayfield). The Rams have played only seven games under McVay with a starting quarterback not drafted first or second overall, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
The 49ers, who have clinched the No. 1 seed in the NFC, will be without running back Christian McCaffrey (mild calf strain) and quarterback Brock Purdy (rest).
The 49ers have won nine straight regular-season games against the Rams, although the Rams beat the Niners in the 2021 NFC Championship Game during that stretch.