The San Francisco 49ers had plenty of what-ifs in their 2022 NFC Championship Game loss to the Los Angeles Rams. At the least, they were able to roll out offensive tackle Trent Williams in the contest.

Williams was a notable doubt to feature against the Rams after having suffered a Grade 2 high-ankle sprain injury in the NFC divisional round victory over the Green Bay Packers. Even as he was on crutches following the win against the Packers and did not go on to take part in a single practice session ahead of the NFC title game, Williams still managed to play in the matchup.

In hindsight, Williams believes that he very well should not have played in the game, which he touched on during a press conference at 49ers’ OTAs this week.

“I really had no business out there,” Williams said. “It's so hard for me not to be out there, knowing the position we were in and what we were trying to accomplish. But looking back on it, I probably shouldn't have pushed it that far. I think [Colton McKivitz] would have did a better job on two healthy ankles than I could have did on one.

“And hindsight is 20/20, of course. But it was hard for me to tell my teammates no at the time, but looking back on it, I think I probably pushed it a little too far.”

Williams wound up playing in all 51 of the 49ers’ snaps on offense in the game. He helped to contain the Rams’ vaunted front seven led by defensive tackle Aaron Donald, as the unit did not go on to record a single sack. Still, the Jimmy Garoppolo-led 49ers offense failed to orchestrate a single scoring drive in the fourth quarter, as Matthew Stafford led the Rams to 13 points in the final 15 minutes of the contest to seal the win.

In the big picture, Williams and the 49ers will be in for quite a challenge to make a second consecutive trip to the NFC title game. They sure also have their sights set on making a push to win the NFC West for the first time since the 2019 campaign.