NFC Notes: Marvin Harrison, Cardinals, 49ers, Rams, Seahawks

49ers

San Francisco has dealt with significant injuries all season long which has derailed them and kept them out of postseason contention in a year where they had Super Bowl hopes. 49ers GM John Lynch isn’t using injuries as an excuse because of the Lions’ success and vows to find the main issue holding them back from where they want to be.

“It’s not somewhere where we want to be again, but we’re here this year,” Lynch said, via David Bonilla of 49ersWebzone.com. “Can’t believe we’re here, but we are. And we have to accept that. We have to learn from it. We can’t just chalk it up to there were a lot of injuries. Well, the team we’re playing, Detroit, they had a lot of injuries, but they found a way.”

“And so, we’ve got to look at the root. We have been looking at the root causes. We’ll fix it. We’ve got a lot of great players and a lot of great people that we want to be a part of the solution moving forward, and we’ll go find the other parts of our team to get us back to where we belong. And that’s competing for championships, and I’m confident in our plan to do that.”

Cardinals

Arizona was eliminated from postseason contention last week after losing to the Panthers in Week 16. Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon explained what he’s looking to see in his team over the final two games that bear little meaning to them.

“What I’m concerned about is, are we doing things the right way?” Gannon said, via Theo Mackie of AZ Central. “Are we disciplined enough to stick to our process and make sure that it’s good, to maximize the opportunity to go out there and compete and win a game?”

Amidst a somewhat disappointing rookie campaign, WR Marvin Harrison Jr. wants to use the final two games to regain his college confidence where he was producing at an elite level. 

“I’m not gonna lie and say it’s been easy,” Harrison said. “Definitely a lot different for me. Obviously, success that you’ve had in the past and then to have more of a roller-coaster ride of a year as a rookie, it’s been hard.”

“It would definitely mean a lot. It’s been a long season. A lot of ups and downs. So to finish out strong would be good.”

Rams

• Rams HC Sean McVay said he’s hopeful RT Rob Havenstein (shoulder) will play in Week 17 but Joe Noteboom will fill in if Havenstein is unavailable, via Sarah Barshop.

Seahawks

• Seahawks HC Mike Macdonald said RB Kenneth Walker III could return from IR this year if their season extends long enough for him to be eligible. (John Boyle)