NFC West Notes: Kyle Shanahan, Blake Corum, 49ers, Cardinals, Rams

49ers

49ers HC Kyle Shanahan didn’t outright call Week 6 against the Seahawks a must-win game but said it “sure feels like one” after starting their season 0-2 in the NFC West. 

“I never want to say the words ‘must-win’ until [a situation where] if we don’t win, we’re eliminated from the playoffs,” Shanahan said, via 49ersWebZone. “That’s the only time it’s a true must-win. But my words were, last week, ‘I’ll never say it’s a must-win until it’s that situation, but it damn sure feels like one.’ And I think that had to do with just losing two tight games in our division, being 0-2 in our division, going against a divisional opponent.”

The 49ers are set to face the Chiefs in a rematch of Super Bowls LVIII and LIV in Week 7. Shanahan said they can’t get caught up in the emotions from previous games. 

“I think everyone understands that we’ve lost two Super Bowls to them, so that can give a little post-traumatic stress when you turn on the tape, but I think that’s human nature,” Shanahan said. “But you gotta make sure you don’t get caught up in that. This game has nothing to do with past games. That was last year. We’re playing a really good AFC opponent [this week]. We’re .500 right now, and we want to stay atop of our division and get a win. I mean, you think about that stuff going into it, but in terms of [how] it plays out in a game, it really has no correlation, and you try to make sure that it doesn’t.”

Cardinals

• Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon confirmed DT Bilal Nichols (stinger) is out for the rest of the season, while WR Marvin Harrison Jr. is still in the league’s concussion protocol, per Darren Urban.
• Gannon added RT Jonah Williams (knee) has a “good chance” to return this season, per Urban. 
• Gannon said Harrison Jr. was a non-contact participant in Thursday’s practice but his progress has been “very encouraging,” via Theo Mackie. 

Rams

Rams HC Sean McVay said he’s been impressed by third-round RB Blake Corum‘s approach and is proving to be an “instinctual runner.” 

“I think what I’ve been so impressed with is the consistency of his approach regardless of whether or not he was getting the opportunities or not behind Kyren (Williams),” McVay said, via the team’s site. “But I thought he earned it. Consistent work ethic, ability to earn that trust in these practice-type settings. And then I thought he did really well. Still some minimum opportunities, but he’s heavy at the point of contact, good instinctual runner. Though he did a great job being able to show some burst through the line of scrimmage and he’s a guy that we’ll continue to get him opportunities that have been earned. I really like what I’ve seen, and I’ve been more impressed with the human being, the way that he’s handled it. And then I thought he did maximize the ops that he had against the Packers.”