49ers

49ers TE George Kittle is hoping to return to practice soon in order to be ready for the team’s Week 1 opener in Australia.

“I have a chance,” Kittle said, via ESPN. “We’re running around a lot, hitting top speeds. Hopefully, we’re back in pads practicing sooner than later. Just trying to check the boxes and not be a dumbass.”

“I want to play in every football game that I possibly can play in, but I’m also aware it’s an 18-week season,” Kittle added. “If you miss Week 1 and you’re playing Week 2, hey, it is what it is. … I’m just going to keep that as my goal and then we’ll adjust from there if we need to. But I still believe that. My team still believes that. My surgeon still believes I have a chance. So just keep attacking it.”

“[It’s] relentless positivity from George, like always,” 49ers OC Klay Kubiak said of Kittle. “That’s how he lives his life. It’s how he goes about his every day. And you got to appreciate that about him. And to me, that’s what’s going to make him get back from his injury and be himself again is because he has the right mindset. He attacks every day with positivity that he’s progressing and he’s healing. And just in seeing him out there just with the trainers working out, he looks great. And I’m excited to see kind of how he progresses over these next few weeks.”

Rams

Rams QB Stetson Bennett appeared to be ready to be the backup in Los Angeles as he scored two rushing touchdowns in the team’s blowout win over the Saints, with HC Sean McVay taking note of his performance.

“I think he’s getting better and better,” McVay told reporters, via Pro Football Talk. “I think part of it is the overall command. I thought he made some really good decisions. I thought he got through some progressions. Then I love the fact that he used his legs. . . . [H]e did a great job. I thought he got an opportunity to be able to really showcase a lot of his skills. Huge credit to [quarterbacks coach] Dave Ragone too. I think those two guys were really in sync and it was fun to watch.”

“We talk about it all the time, and you guys have heard me say it, repetition is the mother of learning,” McVay added. “[Bennett] has been intentional about applying those reps and you can feel like his teammates, they enjoy him. He’s an easy guy to be able to root for. He’s just got a nice swag and a nice presence and especially like what we asked earlier, you feel his game really comes to life in game day settings. The gamer thing, he’s just got a good feel and it’s not too big. He loves competing and it’s fun to watch him do it. We’ll learn from reaching the ball out on the end zone even though I challenged that and it worked out for us. We want to make sure that we don’t leave ourselves susceptible to getting a fumble in those types of situations where it goes to a touchback.”

Seahawks

Seahawks HC Mike Macdonald admitted that he would like to see QB Jalen Milroe take another step after evaluating his performance in the first preseason game.

“I think the whole thing just needs — just let’s go take another step, you know?” Macdonald said. “Let’s encourage him to go rip it. I think some great things that Jalen did was extend plays with his legs, something that has been a point of emphasis with him. . . . That really helped us.”

“The play doesn’t have to end if there’s nobody to throw [to] with your progressions,” Macdonald added. “Like, you’re allowed to extend the play, you know? It’s up to you on how long the play goes.”