Kurtenbach: The 49ers lost their regular season finale. But in every way that matters, they won.

SANTA CLARA — If this column reads as if I’m going through the motions — that I don’t want to be writing it — just know that I am taking my cues from the San Francisco 49ers. They didn’t want to play their regular season finale against the Rams on Sunday. But, hey, the Rams didn’t want to play either.

With both teams already qualified for the NFC playoffs, and their seedings effectively set — the Niners as the No. 1 seed, the Rams as one of the two lowest seeds — they opted to take it easy on the way to the postseason. So instead of a hard fought game between two bitter division rivals in Week 18, Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay’s teams played the professional version of patty cake for sixty minutes.

“When we talked, we both knew what this game was to both of us,” Shanahan said. “I know we both want to win, but first thing is trying to keep our players safe.” And so, nothing was accomplished on Sunday. But more importantly, nothing serious was lost. Yes, sportsmanship prevailed, even if the NFL brand is a bit worse for the exercise.

And even though the Niners technically lost the game — 21 20, I’m told — they really won. Now they wait. And wait. And wait. San Francisco will skip ahead to the second round of the playoffs thanks to that No. 1 overall seed. Their opponent might not be set until next Monday. No matter who the opponent is, the Niners won’t play again until Jan.

20 or 21, and they won’t have to travel this postseason unless they reach the Super Bowl. In a league where every hour between games counts, the 49ers are looking at least 300 hours until their next contest. And while I’m not sure if that’s enough time for rookie field goal kicker Jake Moody — who missed attempts from 38 and 33 yards against the Rams — to fix his slice (heaven knows I’ve spent more than 300 hours at the driving range, looking to fix the same issue, to no avail), it might be enough time for defensive end Clelin Ferrell to shake off the knee injury he sustained in the first quarter Sunday.

Ferrell’s was the only serious injury to come from a game where more starters than were expected — or were acceptable — played. The Niners rested their two MVP candidates — quarterback Brock Purdy and running back Christian McCaffrey were wearing hoodies on the sidelines — but Deebo Samuel, Trent Williams, Nick Bosa, Brandon Aiyuk, and Fred Warner did play, if only for a few downs, on Sunday.

And while every Niners fan held their breath when the stars were on the field, it must be noted: those snaps they played were the most interesting of the game — if only because of morbid curiosity. Unfortunately, San Francisco did need to put a team on the field, per NFL rules. Ferrell might be a starter — he plays roughly 40 percent of the time — but he was always going to play on Sunday.

And I’m not sure his knee injury can be qualified as a football injury, either. He looked like he took a strange step while going through the motions on a first quarter run play. Ferrell was carted to the locker room, but Shanahan said after the game that the defensive end didn’t tear his ACL or MCL.

Again, a win amid a loss. Sunday’s game won’t do anything to help the 49ers with momentum or positive vibes heading into the playoffs — the infamous villain “rust” awaits them over the coming weeks — but that doesn’t matter much. The most important thing the Niners could be heading into the playoffs isn’t “hot” or “streaking” — it’s healthy.

Ferrell’s injury — the extent of which will be known early this week — might prevent the Niners from being at full strength, but San Francisco should still be the healthiest team in the NFC heading into the postseason. And when you consider that the Niners also have the most talented roster in the conference, then Sunday gave you a reason to celebrate.

Yes, even after a loss. The 49ers’ regular season, with all its ups and downs, ended in ignominious fashion. Blame the NFL’s move to 17 games. But now the “real” season — the postseason — can start. And for San Francisco, the goal in the real season is straightforward but challenging: Three more games, no more losses, and No.

6 for the trophy case..