This is it -- the final game of the year and surely the final time we will see a lot of current San Francisco 49ers players. They will take on the St. Louis Rams on Sunday and whatever happens, I hope a lot of the young players will get even more looks before it's all said and done.
Fortunately, we got to see a lot of Jaquiski Tartt this season, so the fact that Jimmie Ward is probably starting at strong safety isn't a problem. More than that, Ward has played exceptionally well at cornerback the past few weeks and I'd like to see what he can do at the safety position.
Then there is offensive tackle Trent Brown, a mountain of a man I want to see develop into a starter. I'm a sucker for the big, immovable walls and while I don't like to see anybody get hurt, Brown is into the lineup for those reasons. Seeing more of Brown will be a good thing.
Outside linebacker Ahmad Brooks is a known commodity, obviously, and I feel the same way about Aaron Lynch. The difference is I hope one of them is around next year, and the other one ... I think it could be time to let him go. But the 49ers need to know who can step in and take one of the starting spots.
That brings me to Eli Harold. He has played well in recent weeks, but I hope he gets more than half the snaps at one of the linebacker spots. Corey Lemonier, at this point, doesn't seem like he is a starting-caliber linebacker in the NFL. Harold has more upside, and I hope we get to see plenty of him.
Rookie Mike Davis has an abysmal yards per carry average in his limited playing time. Seriously, it is awful and he's looked awful. But he's healthy and he deserves time, so in a perfect world, Jarryd Hayne and Davis are splitting the snaps against the Rams on Sunday.
I want to talk about Quinton Patton and Bruce Ellington but I feel like a broken record at this point. Neither of them has shown the consistency required, but if there really is a "last chance," then it's going to be Sunday's game.