49ers snap count vs. Rams: Joe Staley injury, one-sided game lead to reserve appearances

The San Francisco 49ers rolled to victory over the St. Louis Rams in Week 13, which meant they were able to roll out quite a few reserves. The final score was 23-13, but the game was not that close in the second half. The Rams cut the lead to 13-6 early in the third quarter, but they couldn't get much else going beyond a garbage time touchdown with 18 seconds left.

The win gave the 49ers a chance to roll in most of their reserves in the fourth quarter. Tramaine Brock and Carlos Rogers were the only defensive players to play 100 percent of defensive snaps. Eric Reid played all but two, but after that it was a chance for rest and reserves.

NaVorro Bowman and Patrick Willis each played 59 snaps, leaving ten snaps for Michael Wilhoite and Nick Moody. Aldon Smith and Ahmad Brooks played 54 and 49 snaps, respectively, which got Dan Skuta 19 snaps and Corey Lemonier 14 snaps. I believe Brooks left the game briefly at one point (based on the snaps and some scuttlebutt on Twitter), but all seems well for him.

The 49ers defensive line has gone from woefully understaffed to a veritable strength. Ray McDonald returned to action, but the 49ers were able to rotate reserves in for both McDonald and Justin Smith. Tony Jerod-Eddie finished the game with 32 snaps (46 percent), and Demarcus Dobbs had 26 snaps (38 percent). The 49ers deactivated Quinton Dial before the game, and Tank Carradine remains inactive. Given what we've seen from TJE and Dobbs, both will spend more time inactive while the 49ers need extra depth along the offensive line.

Speaking of which, Joe Staley departed after only six snaps with a knee injury. Alex Boone moved from right guard to left tackle, and Joe Looney filled in at right guard. The 49ers played Daniel Kilgore one snap late in the second quarter, but otherwise Looney got all the work. Looney's performance is one thing I want to focus in on this week. Iupati remains sidelined for an indefinitely amount of time, and with Staley already expected to miss Sunday's game against the Seahawks, Looney could be looking at even more work.