Resting starters to prevent injuries ahead of the playoffs is an easier decision in the NFL.
Football is too violent to worry about a long layoff causing rust.
If coaches have an opportunity to give key players, especially quarterbacks, a game off with playoff seeds or positioning locked in, most are going to take it. And, they should.
The Dolphins lost edge rusher Bradley Chubb to a season-ending knee injury in the final minutes of a 56-19 loss to Baltimore last week. Coach Mike McDaniel said he regretted keeping Chubb in the game with the outcome already decided. It served as a reminder for other coaches going into the final game of the regular season.
There's too much risk in a physical sport. Just look at all the QBs who sustained significant injuries this season from Aaron Rodgers and Kirk Cousins to Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert.
That's why QBs Lamar Jackson, Brock Purdy, Patrick Mahomes, Matthew Stafford and Joe Flacco are among several starters sitting out Week 18.
They can get their reps in practice to stay sharp and safely watch from the sideline this weekend.
But, coaches can't rest everyone. They still need 48 players to dress for the games.
"What's unique about this time is that different than the preseason, your numbers are a little bit limited and so I don't think you can go into a game without feeling like, hey guys are going to go play," Rams Coach Sean McVay said. "You have to be able to continue to take steps in the right direction. The fortunate thing for us is that because. ... we're already in the playoffs, you can look at it possible six or seven seed, it does offer an opportunity to be able to rest some guys."
Carson Wentz will start at quarterback instead of Stafford for Los Angeles when the Rams (9-7) visit San Francisco (13-3). Running back Kyren Williams, wide receiver Cooper Kupp, tight end Tyler Higbee, tackle Joe Noteboom, defensive lineman Aaron Donald and linebacker Ernest Jones also won't play.
"I'm excited about Carson's opportunity. Obviously, a guy that's had a lot of success in this league," McVay said. "He'll have the full offensive line and some really good players around him. Just excited to be able to see him go compete, do his thing. But when you look at the totality of it, just balancing what do you think is best and there's not a perfect solution, especially when you're talking about, alright, 53 guys, 48 active."
The 49ers and Ravens have clinched the No. 1 seeds so any players they rest this week won't play again until Jan. 20-21. Purdy, the NFC's starting Pro Bowl QB, is the only player Coach Kyle Shanahan plans to keep out mainly because he has to field a team for the game and roster restrictions plus currently having five injured players won't allow him to rest too many starters.
"It's not about the rusty, it's about one, how you pull off a game," he said. "Rusty isn't always about the game. Rusty is how you treat the week. The game is how you treat the week. The game is 3 1/2 hours of, to me, what unfolded throughout the week and then you just get to cut it loose. So, that you've got to play accordingly. You've got to watch how the game's going and be as smart as you can. I also think people win in playoff games because you're a team."
Jackson and star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. are among the guys sitting for Baltimore along with several players dealing with injuries.
"Just all things considered, it seemed to be the right thing to do," Ravens Coach John Harbaugh said about resting Jackson.
No Jackson benefits Baltimore's opponent. The Steelers (9-7) need a win to keep their playoff hopes alive and will face backup QB Tyler Huntley instead of the MVP favorite.
"The guys playing in the game are going to give it all they have," Harbaugh said. "You have to. And the guys playing the game want to win each play, and they want to win the game. ... We're playing a division rival, so you know what goes with that."
Spoiling another team's playoff hopes is fun. Staying healthy is the priority.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) looks to pass as he scrambles against the Miami Dolphins during the first half of an NFL football game in Baltimore, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) calls out to his sideline during the first half an NFL football game against the New York Giants, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
FILE - Then-Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jeff Driskel shouts signals during NFL football training camp practice at State Farm Stadium, Friday, July 28, 2023, in Glendale, Ariz. Joe Flacco will sit out the regular-season finale at Cincinnati — along some other regulars — to rest for the playoffs and Cleveland will start Jeff Driskel — a franchise-record fifth quarterback to start for the team this season. Coach Kevin Stefanski said the Browns have "earned" the right to rest players and he intends to sit some prominent ones Sunday. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes celebrates following an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. The Chiefs won 25-17 to clinch the AFC West. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)