49ers 20, Rams 21: Grades

Is Robbie Gould available?

SANTA CLARA -- The 49ers just lost their regular season finale 21-20 to the Los Angeles Rams. Here are the 49ers' grades for this performance.

SAM DARNOLD: C-MINUS

He's good at quarterback sneaks, scrambles and making circus throws on the run. You can tell why he was the No. 3 pick in the draft once upon a time -- he has talent. He probably looked fantastic at his Pro Day when he faced no defense. But when he's in the pocket, he's the second coming of Jimmy Garoppolo, because he locks onto his first read, and if that guy isn't open, Darnold doesn't know what to do. You can feel the anxiety dripping off him. Which means he's a terrible pocket passer and a mediocre athlete. No wonder he's a backup quarterback. And with a one-point deficit in the fourth quarter and the chance to lead a comeback victory, Darnold fumbled and lost the game, as he has so many times before. In retrospect, it was silly that the 49ers thought they could change Darnold -- he is who he is at this point in his career. They can find a better backup for less money.

RUNNING BACKS: B

Christian McCaffrey didn't play, so Elijah Mitchell started and averaged 3.7 yards per carry. Meanwhile, his backup, Jordan Mason, averaged a whopping 6.0 yards per carry. Mason clearly should be ahead of Mitchell on the depth chart.

WIDE RECEIVERS: C-MINUS

Chris Conley and Ray Ray McCloud both played a lot in place of the starters, and both dropped key passes downfield from Darnold. The 49ers have no depth at wide receiver.

TIGHT ENDS: D

George Kittle sat out with back spasms, which means Charlie Woerner actually got to play, and he caught one pass for 20 yards, which is a big day for him.

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN: C-MINUS

They gave up 3 sacks and paved the way for just 4.3 yards per carry against the Rams backups.

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN: B-MINUS

They sacked Carson Wentz twice and gave up 109 rushing yards. In the second half, the Rams called lots of quarterback runs for Wentz, who finished the game with 17 carries, and the 49ers struggled to stop these plays, because they almost always struggle against mobile quarterbacks.

LINEBACKERS: B-MINUS

Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles had 10 tackles, and Oren Burks had 7 tackles and a sack. The 49ers always have a pipeline of quality linebackers, unlike every other team in the NFL.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: B

Taylor Hawkins intercepted a tipped pass, but also committed a 48-yard pass interference penalty.

SPECIAL TEAMS: F

Jake Moody missed a 38-yard field goal and an extra point, and now the 49ers have to worry about their kicker's confidence as the playoffs begin. Usually the 49ers don't have to worry about Moody because they win by double digits, but if they find themselves in a close playoff game, which they probably will, you can bet they'll have doubts in the back of their mind about Moody. Is Robbie Gould available?

COACHES: D

You could argue that the most important task for the 49ers coaches in this game was to get Jake Moody into a rhythm before the playoffs, but they didn't. Instead, they let him torpedo his confidence in a meaningless game. In retrospect, maybe the 49ers should have found more opportunities for Moody to kick today, or simply sat him so something terrible wouldn't happen. Oops. At least none of the 49ers' best players got injured.