NFC Notes: Cardinals, 49ers, Rams, Seahawks

Cardinals

• Per Bob McManaman of the Arizona Republic, Cardinals HC Kliff Kingsbury said “Zane is still our kicker” when asked about K Zane Gonzalez and his recent struggles. 
• However, Kingsbury acknowledged later that Gonzalez would likely come up when he met later with GM Steve Keim “to discuss personnel. That will be a topic, I’m sure.” (McManaman)
• Kingsbury mentioned that he’s hearing WR Larry Fitzgerald is doing better as he’s on the COVID-19 list: “I’m not sure exactly where we’re at with that but we’re hoping to have him back soon.” (Josh Weinfuss)

49ers

Despite all of their injuries, 49ers’ HC Kyle Shanahan says that his team is much more rested at this point in the season than they were last year.

“We looked like a team that was a lot more rested than we had been the previous nine weeks,” Shanahan said, via Matt Barrows of The Athletic. “So the bye week helped, and not being able to practice a ton on that week helped our overall team speed.”

• NBC Sports’ Peter King notes that while the 49ers are in Arizona they will pay just 4.5 percent in state income tax instead of the 13 percent they pay in California. 

Rams

Rams QB Jared Goff responded to HC Sean McVay calling him out for too many turnovers in recent weeks by not giving the ball up on Sunday against the Cardinals. He was a surgical 37-47 for 351 yards and a touchdown and said afterward he played like he expected to play. 

“I responded exactly how I expected to,” Goff said via Pro Football Talk. “I’ve been through a lot of bad things in my football career before and have consistently responded. This was no different. I just had to put my head down and keep working.”

• Rams DT Michael Brockers suffered a stinger in Sunday’s game. While he appears to be feeling better, McVay said they want to consult with the training staff later. (Jourdan Rodrigue)

Seahawks

Once again, the Seahawks offense struggled to maintain it’s scintillating form from earlier in the season. The Giants hemmed in QB Russell Wilson for much of the day and he probably dropped from MVP consideration after a 27-43 passing performance that included one touchdown, one interception and five sacks. Wilson has struggled recently to walk the line between protecting the ball, keeping the offense on schedule and maintaining the improvisational brilliance that’s always been a part of his game. 

“Obviously, you always want to eliminate sacks,” Wilson said via Gregg Bell of the Tacoma News Tribune. “You also don’t want to eliminate the key moments.”

“We’ve got to bet better. We’ve got to be cleaner. It starts with me,” he added.

Seahawks RB Chris Carson took on a larger part of Seattle’s gameplan on Sunday, leading the team with 13 carries and playing 42 of 72 snaps. But HC Pete Carroll noted that Carson still isn’t at 100 percent and that will affect how they handle him the rest of the way. 

“He’s making it to the game is what he’s doing right now,” Carroll said via ESPN’s Brady Henderson. “His foot is still sore but he can play, so you can see, he looked good, but it’s just not 100 percent and so we’re trying to not overload him.”

• Carroll noted S Ryan Neal is dealing with a hip pointer but his MRI didn’t show much. (John Boyle)
• Seahawks RB Rashaad Penny will return to practice Wednesday, per Carroll. (Bob Condotta)
• Carroll says TE Greg Olsen is “moving around terrifically” and sounded optimistic about the veteran returning before the end of the season. (Condotta)