In last week’s 49ers game, Kyle Shanahan faced off with the man he worked under for two seasons in Atlanta where he was the offensive coordinator, Dan Quinn.

Week 16 brings together another pair of coaches with significant experience working together, as Shanahan will do battle with Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay.

McVay and Shanahan were both first on Jon Gruden’s staff in Tampa Bay with the Buccaneers, then McVay worked under Shanahan as the tight ends coach while Shanahan was the offensive coordinator in Washington. 

For two of the youngest head coaches in the NFL, Sunday’s 49ers-Rams game will be an important chess match with playoff seeding implications on the line.

“There’s a lot of common knowledge in this,” NBC Sports NFL analyst Chris Simms said. “Can you foresee like ‘oh, we did this really well, so I think now they’re gonna do this to stop it’ and you gotta be prepared to have that next thing that ‘ok they’ve stopped that, what is that next thing gonna be.’”

[RELATED: Brunskill could start at different O-line position vs. Rams]

The first time around, the 49ers beat L.A. 20-7 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum behind a dominant defensive performance, as San Francisco’s defense shut the Rams offense out over the final three quarters.

"It makes life hard when you play a team twice a year," Simms continued. "

Sunday’s game brings together two of the best minds in football, and McVay will be locked in to try and exact some revenge on his former colleague.

SANTA CLARA -- San Francisco 49ers offensive lineman Daniel Brunskill could be in his line for his seventh start of the season at his third different position.

Right guard Mike Person, who started the 49ers’ first 14 games, is listed as questionable with a neck condition. Person went through limited practice every day this week, and might not be available for the team’s Week 16 game against the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday night at Levi’s Stadium.

The 49ers currently have only seven offensive linemen on their 53-man roster. Brunskill and Justin Skule are the only backup offensive linemen on the team. Coach Kyle Shanahan said Brunskill would be the likely choice to replace Person.

Brunskill started five games earlier this season in place of Mike McGlinchey at right guard. He also made a start at left tackle for Joe Staley.

The 49ers on Thursday ruled out defensive end Dee Ford, safety Jaquiski Tartt and defensive tackle Jullian Taylor from playing on Saturday due to injuries. Ford and Tartt did not practice at all this week. Ford is not expected to be available for the remainder of the regular season, while there is a chance Tartt could play in Week 17 at Seattle.

Taylor saw limited work on Thursday, and Shanahan said he hopes he will be available against the Seahawks.

The 49ers will get cornerback Richard Sherman and nickel back K’Waun Williams back on the field against the Rams. Sherman sat out last week’s game against the Atlanta Falcons due to a hamstring injury, while Williams did not pass through the NFL’s concussion protocol last week.

49ers injury report

Out
DE Dee Ford (quadricep, hamstring)
S Jaquiski Tartt (ribs)
DT Jullian Taylor (elbow)
Questionable
G Mike Person (neck)

For a team standing right near the top of the NFC standings and featuring a defense among the best in the league, you’d think more than four 49ers would be selected as Pro Bowl starters.

Some of San Francisco’s players were vocally frustrated by the perceived lack of respect, including Arik Armstead, who is within the top-10 in sacks among all NFL players.

"I'm mad. I’m mad, definitely. It’s something you dream about getting," Armstead said. "You work hard for it and you feel like you deserve it and you don’t get it. It’s beyond my understanding but it is what it is."

But coach Kyle Shanahan doesn’t want his players focusing on individual honors with the postseason and a chance at a trip to Miami for Super Bowl LIV on the horizon.

"We've got four guys who made it, but I told the guys yesterday it doesn't mean a lot to the team or the organization because it's a Pro Bowl and stuff," Shanahan Thursday said on his weekly KNBR appearance. "But it's a ton for the players to get that recognition and everything. They got four guys who made [it as starters]. They've got a number of alternates. But I do believe we should have more than four. 

“That's kind of what I tell the guys because they all want to fight and get that stuff.”

The 49ers ended up with four starters on the NFC squad, including tight end George Kittle, fullback Kyle Juszczyk, defensive end Nick Bosa and cornerback Richard Sherman.

[RELATED: Why Pro Bowl nod means more for 49ers' Sherman this year]

Armstead, along with seven of his teammates, was listed as an alternate.

49ers players like DeForest Buckner and Raheem Mostert can use these selections as motivation, and I’m sure they’d much rather be packing up their bags for Miami than spending the weekend before the Super Bowl playing a somewhat meaningless contest in Orlando.