NFC West Notes: Christian McCaffrey, Puka Nacua, 49ers, Cardinals, Rams

49ers 

49ers RB Christian McCaffrey said it was a “group decision” for him to sit out of Monday’s contest against the Jets.

“My mindset every week is I’m going to play,” McCaffrey said, via ESPN. “There’s been weeks where I’ll go the full week, not even feeling good enough to do the walk-through, and then I wake up and the body’s capable of a lot of cool things. Mentally, I’m always prepared to play, and then I woke up and it was a group decision, a very tough one. I hate not playing, but I look at it as a chess move and something that hopefully you can benefit from the rest of the season.”

49ers HC Kyle Shanahan said that it’s not a possibility that McCaffrey will end up on injured reserve.

“No, I’ve never considered that,” Shanahan said. “We considered that he would play last week, so definitely not thinking about four weeks off.”

McCaffrey said he plans on playing this week.

“My mentality is I’m playing this week,” McCaffrey said. “That’s where I’m at. That’s how I am every week. I’m not lying. I think as soon as a player says, ‘Maybe I’ll play, maybe I won’t,’ that’s not a good mentality to go into a week with when you’re kind of on the fence. For me, I’m ready to go.”

Cardinals

Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr. said recording just one reception for four yards in Week 1 against the Bills “definitely wasn’t what I expected.”

“I mean, obviously it wasn’t great,” Harrison said, via Josh Weinfuss of ESPN. “Definitely wasn’t what I expected, what I wanted to happen, what the team wanted to happen. Obviously, you wanted to come out with a victory and we didn’t do that.”

Harrison Jr. feels like he could’ve done a “better job” in Week 1 and must get open going forward. 

“That’s why it kind of brought me here is to help the team, help the offense go,” Harrison said. “So, I have to do a better job of that going forward. I got to get open and catch the ball. That’s my job as a receiver. That is your job description. That’s what I got to do a better job.”

Harrison Jr. admits he was overthinking in last Sunday’s game and needs more reps.

“Thinking a lot,” Harrison said. “I was definitely thinking a lot out there and I think that’ll come with reps, thinking less and just going out there and playing. It’ll definitely come with reps and it’s something I’ll get better at, but I definitely say I was thinking a lot out there.”

Rams

Rams QB Matthew Stafford said losing the “juice” WR Puka Nacua brings to the team will hurt them, but his presence in the locker room will still help the team.

“Obviously, a really good football player for us,” Stafford said, via Rams Wire. “He makes plays in the passing game. He blocks in the run game as good as anybody. Does a lot of things that allow us to be really multiple in what we want to do with just a couple personnels. You lose him on the field there and you lose his personality in the huddle, the juice that he brings out to practice, the zest for football and life that he has. He’s still around, obviously. It’s not like we put him down or anything, but you just don’t get to see him in the huddle as much, which we all love being around Puka. It’s a little bit of a loss there.”