Resting starters to prevent injuries ahead of the playoffs is an easier decision in the NFL.

Football is too violent to worry about a long layoff causing rust.

If coaches have an opportunity to give key players, especially quarterbacks, a game off with playoff seeds or positioning locked in, most are going to take it. And, they should.

The Dolphins lost edge rusher Bradley Chubb to a season-ending knee injury in the final minutes of a 56-19 loss to the Ravens last week. Coach Mike McDaniel said he regretted keeping Chubb in the game with the outcome already decided.

There’s too much risk in a physical sport. Just look at all the QBs who sustained significant injuries this season from Aaron Rodgers and Kirk Cousins to Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert.

That’s why QBs Lamar Jackson, Brock Purdy, Patrick Mahomes, Matthew Stafford and Joe Flacco are among several starters sitting out Week 18.

They can get their reps in practice to stay sharp and safely watch from the sideline this weekend.

But, coaches can’t rest everyone. They still need 48 players to dress for the games.

“What’s unique about this time is that different than the preseason, your numbers are a little bit limited and so I don’t think you can go into a game without feeling like, hey guys are going to go play,” Rams coach Sean McVay said. “You have to be able to continue to take steps in the right direction.”

Carson Wentz will start at quarterback instead of Stafford when the Rams (9-7) visit San Francisco (13-3). Running back Kyren Williams, wide receiver Cooper Kupp, tight end Tyler Higbee, tackle Joe Noteboom, defensive lineman Aaron Donald and linebacker Ernest Jones also won’t play.

“I’m excited about Carson’s opportunity. Obviously, a guy that’s had a lot of success in this league,” McVay said. “He’ll have the full offensive line and some really good players around him.”

The 49ers and Ravens have clinched the No. 1 seeds so any players they rest this week won’t play again until Jan. 20-21. Purdy, the NFC’s starting Pro Bowl QB, is the only player coach Kyle Shanahan plans to keep out mainly because he has to field a team for the game and roster restrictions plus currently having five injured players won’t allow him to rest too many starters.

“It’s not about the rusty, it’s about one, how you pull off a game,” he said. “Rusty isn’t always about the game. Rusty is how you treat the week. The game is how you treat the week.”

Jackson and star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. are among the guys sitting for the Ravens along with several players dealing with injuries.

“Just all things considered, it seemed to be the right thing to do,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said about resting Jackson.

No Jackson benefits the Steelers (9-7), who need a win to keep their playoff hopes alive.

“The guys playing in the game are going to give it all they have,” Harbaugh said. “You have to.”

Spoiling another team’s playoff hopes is fun. Staying healthy is the priority.