Why Rust Will Not be an Issue for the 49ers in the Divisional Playoff Round

Rust is always a concern for a team that rests it's players in the regular season finale, but that should not apply to the 49ers.

One of the concerns for the 49ers going into the regular season finale was the "rust vs. rest" debate.

On one hand, It was a meaningless game that could only have a negative impact with injuries. The other side of it is that resting too many starters would give them two weeks off, which could make them rusty in the divisional playoff round. It's always a tough balance, and there really isn't a concrete answer. It's more of a unique formula for each team to figure out what works for them. The 49ers found theirs out by playing most of their key starters for no more than a few series or so. 

Still, it wasn't a full game, so the potential of rust is still there. But I don't believe for one second that rust will be an issue for the 49ers when they start their playoff run in the divisional round. For starters, Kyle Shanahan will not let that happen. It all starts with how they practice, and it's an emphasis that Shanahan believes in heavily during training camp as well. He prefers practice time in camp than actual preseason games, so he has the right plan to mitigate any rust in the playoffs. 

"We should get two really hard practices in," said Shanahan on the plan for their Bye week. "Last week, I thought we had one. But we'll get two hard ones in, probably put the pads on one of them. Tomorrow we'll have those guys come up and work out and probably go on the field a little bit, just throw the football around and stuff with some skill guys and just have guys do some individual stuff, but not truly a practice. So, we'll get two real days in, kind of a little bit of everything tomorrow from an exercise standpoint. Then we'll give them the weekend off.” 

The other reason why rust will not be an issue, and it ties into their practice habits too, is that the 49ers are way too high-level of a team for that to happen. Rust is surely something they have to acknowledge, so they will do everything within their power to avoid it. And practicing hard is what can help that. But it is also the maturity of the 49ers. It is their culture to be focused and locked in. They are not downplaying anything right now when it comes to the playoffs. They'll be ready to play when the divisional round comes against anyone.

Even if rust does happen to show up, the 49ers are way too talented to let that derail them. It wouldn't impact them for more than the initial start of the game. Rust is generally a valid concern with teams taking substantial time off, but that is not something that should apply with this specific 49ers team.