The San Francisco 49ers played their final preseason game on Thursday night against the Las Vegas Raiders. However, there’s a case to be made that they should treat Week 1 of the regular season like another warmup.
The Niners will take on the Los Angeles Rams in the NFL's first-ever game played in Australia. No one truly knows what to expect in terms of how the travel will affect the team. The Niners will get there a week before the game, while the Rams are getting in the day before, and it will be interesting to see how the conflicting approaches play out.
Unfortunately, the Rams may already have the upper hand due to the Niners' countless injuries. There’s already been a lot of hand-wringing, consternation, and substation jokes over San Francisco’s numerous impairments. While the only season-ender has been Ricky Pearsall’s injury, a lot of key players have been banged up and have missed practice. Naturally, the fanbase has felt the need to worry, as they have grown accustomed to seeing this theme permeate throughout the roster.
49ers "extended preseason" could help to subside injury woes
That’s why it’s not entirely crazy to suggest that the Niners treat Week 1 of the regular season like a quasi-preseason game and rest some of their starters.
Would the NFL be on board with that? Absolutely not. But who cares? The Niners need Mike Evans, Christian McCaffrey, Nick Bosa, and George Kittle healthy in December and January. Putting them out there in Week 1 is an unnecessary risk, and it would make more sense if they began their season in Santa Clara in Week 2.
By resting some of their key players, the Niners would simply be taking a page out of the NBA's book. They’ve all had legitimate injuries, so the NFL couldn’t retaliate, even if they grew suspicious. Brock Purdy would still start at quarterback, and Fred Warner would make his return on defense. In other words, the healthy stars would still give it a go.
The Niners could let some of their rookies get a chance with the questionable veterans out. De’Zhaun Stribling could start instead of Evans, Kaelon Black could take McCaffrey's place, and Romello Height could take over for Bosa. All three players will have to contribute this season anyway, so why not give them a nice little baptism by fire down under?
It may be unorthodox, but the 49ers have to be thinking big picture here. While it would be great to have all their starters good to go in the season opener, it's simply not the reality. If any of their veterans aren’t fully good to go, then there is no need to jeopardize the season, all for a game in a faraway country.
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