NFC Notes: Drew Lock, Trey McBride, Cardinals, Rams, Seahawks

Cardinals

Cardinals TE Trey McBride has had a standout season as a rookie in Arizona and recently racked up 102 yards receiving despite a loss to the 49ers.

“I feel like I’m in the zone,” McBride said, via Josh Weinfuss of ESPN. “I feel like I can play well, I match up well. I feel like this is what I was drafted to do. This is what they picked me to do. I feel like this is just how I play football. This is the way I go and just to finally get an opportunity to show these coaches this is really what I can do, it’s been awesome.”

“I don’t think I’m far off,” McBride replied when asked if he could be a top tight end in the league. “Obviously there’s not a lot of time and film and data to kind of put me in that, but I feel like I could be up there with those guys. I feel like I’m a problem for defenses. I feel like I catch the ball as good as anybody. I feel like I can win one-on-ones. … I don’t think I’m there yet by any means, but I think if I keep doing the right things, keep preparing like I am, I think that’s possible.”

Rams

• Rams QB Matthew Stafford lined up in the Wildcat formation once in Week 15’s game against the Commanders but doesn’t think he’s fooling many defenders: “I just don’t think anybody believes I’ll ever get it out there, which is probably true. I did yell ‘reverse’ on that one, and I think I peeled two defensive lineman off, so they dont know who’s yelling. I think it worked,” via Gary Klein. 

Seahawks

Seahawks QB Drew Lock was able to lead the team to victory against the Eagles on Monday night, throwing an impressive game-winning touchdown to rookie WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

“It takes a special group to rally around a guy that was coming into his second game of the year,” Lock said, via Brady Henderson of ESPN. “They’re used to the same thing all year long, same cadence, same spin of the ball, everything. For a team like that — not just the offense, the defense — to rally around me tonight, man, that was amazing.”

“For us to come out tonight and play the way we did and get a win in one of two opportunities I had this year to start, gosh, I was excited,” Lock added. “I was emotional. I was emotional for myself but I was emotional for these guys in this locker room. It’s been a rough couple weeks. We needed a win.”

Seahawks HC Pete Carroll was impressed by Lock’s play but says there will be no quarterback controversy when QB Geno Smith is ready to return from injury.

“Beautiful football, just beautiful football,” Carroll said. “The poise that we talked to you about last week, that’s where he’s been. He’s been on it. He’s been in command. There’s a couple incompletes in that drive; he came right back and hit it and converted and made the first downs. Then to throw the touchdown to win the football game, just amazing stuff.”

“Drew took most of the plays during the week,” Carroll continued. “We really tried to save Geno as much as we could and not overexpose him because it’s been such a short span of time since the strain. We went out tonight to see could he play if we needed him to play. … He looked really good in the workout, but that was really the one taxing workout that we put him through. So we knew we could dress him and if we needed him, we could go to him in hopes we wouldn’t have to so we could buy him another week of healing because it was really too soon. It was a tough decision. It was hard as could be on Geno because we got him all the way to that point and then said, ‘No. Dress, be there if we need you, but we’ll go with the other fellas and see if we could make it to next week so you could come back and play next week.’ Oh yeah, we were battling. We were battling, but he understood.”

“I’m so thrilled for the kid, really,” Carroll concluded on Lock. “First off, it’s a memory you’re never going to lose. He’s going to hold on to this Monday night forever. He earned it. He deserved it. He played up to the great moments in the game and came through. … It’s been hard for him. Any guy that backs up that has the brain of a starter, the brain of a championship kid, it’s difficult as heck to have to wait. He’s had to do it. He had his chances and he almost put together a game good enough last week, and this week he did the whole thing. It was amazing.”

• Carroll on Smith: “He looked really good in the workout, but that was the one taxing workout that we put him through. … It was really too soon.” (Curtis Crabtree)
• Carroll said CB Michael Jackson started over CB Tariq Woolen because they had a competition in practice and “that’s how it came out” yet wouldn’t say if this would be the case going forward. (Michael-Shawn Dugar)