NFC Notes: Marvin Harrison Jr., Christian McCaffrey, 49ers, Cardinals, Rams

49ers

49ers HC Kyle Shanahan said the team doesn’t have a timetable for RB Christian McCaffrey to return.

“Nobody knows,” Shanahan said, via ESPN. “We’re dealing with tendinitis so, not one person knows. He doesn’t know. We don’t know and [we will] take it day by day.”

Shanahan said that the decision to put his star running back on injured reserve causes everybody, including McCaffrey, to slow down and make sure the best long-term decision is made.

“By putting him on IR, it’s at least four weeks,” Shanahan said. “It’ll give him some time to rest and protect him from himself. Us too. No matter how he’s feeling.”

With McCaffrey out, RB Jordan Mason has taken the reigns in the backfield. Shanahan expressed his confidence in the third-year back out of Georgia Tech.

“[He] just does what he’s been doing since he’s been here,” Shanahan said of Mason. “We’ve had two guys go down already, so I think it’s pretty obvious that he knows he’s starting when that’s case.”

Even though Mason has filled in admirably, it’s hard to replicate the versatility that McCaffrey brings as well as the added dimension he brings to the offense.

“Christian is the offensive MVP for a reason,” TE George Kittle said. “He has an incredible impact on this team. Just him being around, he boosts everyone’s confidence. I still think we had opportunities to find a way to win today and we just didn’t. But yeah, it’s just there’s things that we can’t do without Christian.”

Cardinals

Although Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon said the plan wasn’t to force the ball to any particular receiver, Cardinals QB Kyler Murray said getting rookie WR Marvin Harrison Jr. going early was something he had hoped to do.

“You want to get your guys the ball early so they can feel like they’re in the game, get them going, get their juices flowing,” Murray said, via ESPN. “I feel like we did a great job of that today.”

Gannon said the quiet start didn’t bother Harrison in the slightest bit.

“He’s a mature, serious person, so he doesn’t listen to any noise and he holds himself to a high standard,” Gannon said. “He practiced his ass off this week and he went and played well. So, I’m happy for him. It is good to see him smile. But, yeah, he lit it up.”

In addition to the offense having a breakout performance, the defense also played lights out, holding the Rams to only 10 points.

“I love that more than how we played, honestly,” Murray said of the defense. “Just that they had our back. They had our back again. It was a complete team win. Complimentary football at its finest. All three phases of the game played well.”

• According to Aaron Wilson, the Cardinals signed DE Julian Okwara to a one-year, $1.062 million contract with a cap hit of $930,278. 
• Per ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss, Cardinals first-round WR Marvin Harrison Jr. had more receiving yards in the first quarter of Week 2 than his father had in any game during his rookie year. 

Rams

Rams QB Matthew Stafford reiterated that he has a ton of confidence in the team’s wide receiver room after getting hit with multiple injuries.

“Those guys did a nice job today when they got their opportunities in the game to step in and make some plays,” Stafford said, via Rams Wire. “I thought Demarcus Robinson made some nice plays, I thought Tutu made some good plays, J-Whitt made some plays, TJ, so continue to grow with those guys, try to help them out as much as I possibly can, give them good passes to catch and let those guys do their thing. I’ve got a ton of trust in them. They’ve done a great job all through OTAs, training camp, all that kind of stuff. And have some pass-game history with some of those guys.”