What we learned in 49ers’ regular-season finale loss to Rams

BOX SCORE SANTA CLARA — Two NFC playoff teams got together on the final Sunday of the 2023 regular season at Levi's Stadium for a game that had a certain preseason feel to it, and the 49ers saw their 12-game winning streak against NFC West opponents come to an end with a 21-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. The 49ers (12-5) also had their nine-game regular-season winning streak against their neighbors to the south snapped with the loss. Although the Rams' playoff spot still was uncertain entering the game, coach Sean McVay opted to rest some of his top players without much concern whether they would enter the postseason next week as the NFC's No. 6 or No. 7 seed. The 49ers would have wanted to sit out all of their top players with the No. 1 seed clinched, but because of injuries and roster limitations, coach Kyle Shanahan opted to have many of the team's starters suit up and work up a sweat before calling on the backups. Here are three takeaways from the 49ers' Week 18 game: Looking ahead to the postseason The only real goal for the 49ers on Sunday was to best set themselves up for the playoffs in two weeks. Although seven of the team's nine Pro Bowl players suited up for the...