The Rams will be without two key starters due to injury for Sunday's game.
Both running back Todd Gurley (knee) and safety Lamarcus Joyner (ankle) will not play in the regular-season finale against San Francisco, as head coach Sean McVay declared both players out on Friday.
"Those guys are making progress, but we don't feel like it's going to be at the point where they'll be ready to go. So we want to continue to be smart with that," McVay said Friday. "Just based on talking to these guys, where they're at right now, we feel like that's going to be the best decision."
"We just wanted to get some clarity on that, rather than wait all the way up until kickoff," McVay added.
McVay said neither player was exactly ready to be ruled out this far before gametime. But the head coach wanted to do what was best for the team heading into the postseason.
Though Gurley has been dealing with his knee injury since the Week 15 loss to the Eagles, McVay said he's not concerned about Gurley's potential availability for the playoffs.
"Based on the information that I'm getting and just talking to Todd, I wouldn't say I'm concerned. I think we want to be really smart about that," McVay said. "I don't get the sense that he's concerned, but we want to be smart about this. And if it's feeling like something where he's not going to be able to be the Todd Gurley that we're accustomed to seeing, just based on the way that thing's feeling, the smart thing for him, No. 1, and for our football team is to rest him and get him back as quickly is possible — whenever that is that our next game after the Niners will be."
Gurley will finish the 2018 season with 1,831 yards from scrimmage — 1,251 rushing, 580 receiving. He currently leads the league with 21 total touchdowns and 17 rushing touchdowns.
C.J. Anderson will start his second game in a row for Los Angeles, after signing on Tuesday of last week. McVay noted how much more comfortable the running back appears headed into his second game with the club.
"He's had a really good week of preparation," McVay said. "I think just being in week two [with the Rams] where he's a lot more comfortable with some of the verbiage, some of the different things. And I think he was feeling good after the game, so, hopefully, we'll see another good performance from C.J."
And at safety, McVay said L.A. will utilize both Blake Countess and Marqui Christian to fill in for Joyner.
Countess has been a special teams staple for the Rams over the last two seasons, playing 80 percent of the club's snaps on the unit this year. He's also had some spot duty at safety this year, playing 37 defensive snaps.
Christian has been a part of the Rams' dime defensive package throughout the course of the season — usually utilized on third downs or in other known-passing situations. He's played 33 percent of Los Angeles' defensive snaps this year, making 32 tackles and one pass defensed.
"There's a lot of confidence in those guys," McVay said of Countess and Christian. "They have a good understanding of the system and how we want to be able to accomplish some of the things we're trying to get done, specific to defending the 49ers this week."
Elsewhere on the Rams' injury report, defensive lineman Ethan Westbrooks is questionable after missing Friday's practice with an illness. And running back Justin Davis is questionable with a shoulder injury.
On the other side, the 49ers have ruled out running back Matt Breida and wide receiver Marquise Goodwin, as well as wide receiver Dante Pettis and tight end Garrett Celek.
Below are the full Friday injury statuses for both teams. Any individual not listed is expected to be available to play.
LOS ANGELES RAMS
OUT
RB Todd Gurley (knee)
S Lamarcus Joyner (ankle)
QUESTIONABLE
RB Justin Davis (shoulder)
DL Ethan Westbrooks (illness)
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
OUT
RB Matt Brieda (ankle)
WR Marquise Goodwin (calf)
WR Dante Pettis (knee)
TE Garrett Celek (concussion)
QUESTIONABLE
CB Tarvarius Moore (shoulder)
