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...
Rams Get Encouraging Davante Adams News But One Problem Remains
Davante Adams rehab has taken a positive turn for the Rams, with Sean McVay saying the receivers recovery from a hamstring injury appears to be tracking toward the shorter end of the expected timetable. Adams recently underwent successful clean-out surgery, a welcome development for a team that has had to keep planning without one of its most experienced pass-catchers as the season moves forward.
Even with the encouraging update, the Rams still have to wait. Adams remains on injured reserve and will miss at least three more games, leaving McVay to navigate the offense without him in the immediate future. The good news is that the outlook is better than it first sounded, but the bigger question for Los Angeles is how soon Adams can turn that progress into an actual return. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Face One Trade Deadline Question That Could Define This Push
With the NFL trade deadline closing in, the Rams are once again in the middle of the usual late-season question that follows a competitive stretch: do they stay the course with the roster they have, or make a move to sharpen the edges of a team that still sees itself as part of the race? Wide receiver, defensive line and edge rusher are all on the radar as Los Angeles weighs what kind of upgrade might matter most over the seasons final stretch.
Names such as Michael Downs, A'Shawn Robinson and Khalil Mack have been floated as possible fits, underscoring how broad the search could be if the Rams decide the right addition is worth paying for. For now, though, nothing has been finalized, and the deadline pressure only adds to the intrigue around whether Los Angeles makes a targeted swing or stands pat and trusts what it already has. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Kicking Drama Just Took Another Turn Fans Didn't Expect
The Rams brought Joshua Karty back into the building this week, signing the kicker to the practice squad less than a year after cutting him. It was part of a broader round of roster shuffling that also included the additions of linebacker Jon Rhattigan and long snapper Jake McQuaide, along with the releases of offensive lineman Austin Blake, cornerback Nyzier Fourqurean and linebacker Elias Neal.
Kartys return adds another layer to a kicking situation that has already been unusually fluid, with the team cycling through four kickers in recent weeks while Brandon McManus remains on the active roster. McQuaides arrival is another notable piece of the puzzle, and the Rams now have some familiar faces back in the mix as they keep working through special teams and depth decisions. [Read more 🡒]