Christian McCaffrey isn’t expecting the thigh issue that popped up Sunday to linger.
The 49ers running back said he’ll be fine after the scare, even though the timing was frustrating given how the play felt in the moment.
“I’ll be fine. I’m not worried about it,” McCaffrey said, via NBC Sports.
“It just sucks to me because that was one of those ones where I just felt like I could have got going . . . I was just trying to keep it warm and not make it worse, but there’s only so much you can do to get back to where you want to be.
I’ll be fine. I know that.
I’ll be all right.”
San Francisco’s offense was part of a much bigger mess in Week 7 against the Falcons, and George Kittle didn’t sugarcoat that side of it. The veteran tight end said the 49ers can’t expect to win when they give the ball away four times.
Brock Purdy also owned his mistake on the scramble drill interception, saying he thought Christian Kirk might come open on the play but realized immediately after releasing the ball that he hadn’t thrown it far enough out of bounds.
“In that moment, I’ve got to completely throw the ball away if I’m not going to make an attempt to a receiver.”
In Arizona, Jacoby Brissett’s Week 7 line wasn’t the issue so much as what came with it. He finished 27 of 48 for 272 yards and a touchdown in the loss to the Broncos, and Mike LaFleur made it clear after the game that the Cardinals aren’t putting the blame solely on the quarterback.
“Like I told you guys, he’s still the starter,” LaFleur said, via ProFootballTalk. “It’s collective.
Again, if the ball was just stagnant for 60 minutes and you couldn’t even cross the 50-yard line, it’d be one thing. We’ve been down inside the 10-yard line 10 times over the last two games, so the ball is moving, but we have to finish jobs.
Again, that starts with me but that’s a collective effort. The players have to go execute and I have to put them in better positions and give them the clarity to go do so.
When they do have that clarity, they have to make the plays. We know that.
We’re not going to shy away from that. We know we have to finish the job when we’re down there, and I don’t even think we’re having these conversations right now [if we had].”
LaFleur also explained that rookie quarterback Carson Beck’s back injury was a back spasm.
“It just kind of flared up on him, honestly,” LaFleur said. “He just had a little bit of a back spasm.
Again, when you’re torquing the way these guys torque, that’s not fun. I don’t know if anyone’s ever had back spasms here, but they suck.”
Out in Los Angeles, Sean McVay is fed up with the Rams’ kickoff coverage.
The Rams coach said the special teams breakdowns against a strong return group have become too much to ignore, and he made it plain the execution has to improve.
“It was not good enough. We’ve talked about this a lot, and it has to get fixed.
It’s not good enough, and we cannot allow ourselves to do that,” McVay said, via ProFootballTalk. “That was a great return unit that we were going against.
[Raiders Special Teams Coordinator] Joe ‘D’ [DeCamillis] and those guys did a really good job, but we have to be much better. You can’t give up the first two times that you cover that field position.
I have to figure that out. It’s one of those deals that’s driving me crazy.
We have to figure it out, and we haven’t yet.”
In Other News...
Cardinals QB Debate Just Got Harder To Ignore
Mike LaFleur made it clear the Cardinals are sticking with Jacoby Brissett for now, confirming the veteran will start against the Cowboys as Arizona tries to steady an offense that has been moving the ball without finishing enough drives. LaFleur said the issue is less about getting into scoring position and more about what happens once the Cardinals get there, a distinction that has become harder to ignore as the season has worn on.
The pressure around the quarterback spot has only grown with fan noise pushing rookie Carson Beck into the conversation, but LaFleur said there have been no talks about benching Brissett. For now, Arizona is choosing continuity over change, even as the red-zone frustration lingers and the offense keeps leaving points on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Carson Beck Timeline Just Became A Real Cardinals Debate
The rookie quarterback class has been slow to arrive in the NFL, but Carson Becks path is starting to look a lot more relevant for Arizona as the season moves deeper into the second half. Through Week 7, most of the quarterbacks taken in the draft still have not started a game, and that kind of delay tends to sharpen the focus on teams like the Cardinals, where every week without a clear answer under center makes the next move feel more important.
Arizona sits 2-5, and the longer the offense stays in limbo, the more Beck becomes part of the conversation around the franchises future. Jacoby Brissett has helped stabilize the position enough to keep the Cardinals afloat, but there is still no long-term answer in place, which is why the timeline on Beck is now being watched so closely around the building. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Keep Facing The Same Offensive Question As Pressure Builds
The Cardinals are still sorting through the same offensive questions that have followed them through the last stretch, and the pressure is only getting louder as the season moves on. Mike LaFleur made it clear Jacoby Brissett remains the starter, a decision that keeps the focus on a group trying to find cleaner execution and better finishing when it matters most.
Arizonas recent struggles have not been pinned on one player alone, and that is part of what makes the situation so tricky. The offense has had chances to turn drives into something more meaningful, but the conversation around the unit keeps circling back to the same issue: enough movement to threaten, not enough payoff to relieve the strain that comes with each passing week. [Read more 🡒]