NFC Notes: 49ers, Cardinals, Rams, Seahawks

49ers

• 49ers S Jaquiski Tartt will be “out a while” with a bone bruise in his knee, according to HC Kyle Shanahan. (Nick Wagoner)
• 49ers LT Trent Williams is still day-to-day with his ankle injury. The hope is that he will play this weekend but nothing is set in stone. (Wagoner)
• 49ers first-round QB Trey Lance is set to return to practice this week, but QB Jimmy Garoppolo will remain the starter, according to Shanahan. (Wagoner)

Cardinals

Cardinals RB James Conner has brought the thunder in Arizona’s backfield tandem. He’s averaging under four yards per attempt, but he’s scored six rushing touchdowns and has been excellent at converting short-yardage opportunities. The Cardinals have also leaned on him to help close out games in the fourth quarter and he’s excelled in that role. 

“I’ve always admired his career, just by how hard he plays,” Cardinals OL coach/run game coordinator Sean Kugler said via Bob McManaman of the Arizona Republic. “I think he’s playing outstanding ball. He’s so motivated. He works so hard in practice. He works hard studying to understand the game plan. But he’s a guy at the end of the game who you want the ball in his hands because he’s violent, he’s a finisher. When teams are tired, that’s a big guy to be tackling at the end of the game. He’s been outstanding in backed-up situations.”

“It’s funny because James on a day-to-day basis in the locker room is one of the more quiet and chill guys, super down to earth and just relaxed throughout the week,” Cardinals WR Christian Kirk added. “But it’s like a switch that’s flipped on Sunday when he gets out there. He turns into a bully. I’m glad he’s on our team and I couldn’t imagine tackling that dude. He’s physical, he’s violent, he runs the ball so hard. But he also has the dynamic ability to make a cut and get to the next level, which we’ve been seeing so far this season. He’s been a great addition for us, and I obviously love watching him play.”

Rams

• Rams HC Sean McVay said the decision to trade LB Kenny Young was a “really tough decision for us” while pointing out LB Troy Reeder and third-round LB Ernest Jones as two guys who need to step up to fill the void. They would like one of the two to step up into the single linebacker package as well. (Jourdan Rodrigue)
• McVay acknowledges they invested a lot in Jones and they are interested to see if he can take a step forward with the extra opportunities. (Lindsey Thiry)
• McVay also said Rams LT Andrew Whitworth banged up his knee in Sunday’s game and they’ll be monitoring that this week. (Thiry)

Seahawks

Seahawks HC Pete Carroll said the team misses QB Russell Wilson and understands how important he is to the team.

“Let’s say it this way: I’ve been here a long time, and if we didn’t have Russell, I probably wouldn’t have been here a long time,” Carroll said, via NFL.com. “Because of all, think of all the magic that he’s created in the years. He’s got numbers and stats and fourth-quarter thises and thats, and all that stuff. One of the winningest quarterbacks in the history of the NFL. It’ll be really fun when he comes back and plays football again for us this year. We owe a tremendous amount. You can see how hard it is. All of these games, the Rams game … the Steelers and this one, Russell’s a factor. He’s a fantastic, positive factor and always has been, and those were exactly his time. That’s his time. That’s when he shines. So, we miss him. In the meantime, we’re going to keep fighting and clawing and doing everything we can.”

• Carroll said OT Brandon Shell injured his ankle Monday night vs. New Orleans. (Curtis Crabtree)
• Carroll mentioned QB Geno Smith will start Sunday vs. Jacksonville: “Sure, yeah he is. And we are counting on him to just keep getting better and us to get better around him.” (Bob Condotta)
• Carroll expects both G Damien Lewis and DE Darrell Taylor to return this week. (Michael-Shawn Dugar)