49ers

San Francisco has faced considerable injuries throughout the season, severely hindering their chances for postseason success in what was anticipated to be a Super Bowl-caliber year. Despite these challenges, 49ers GM John Lynch refuses to attribute their struggles solely to injuries, especially noting the success of teams like the Lions. He is committed to identifying the core issues preventing the team from reaching their goals.

“It’s not somewhere where we want to be again, but we’re here this year,” Lynch stated, as reported by 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

After their defeat against the Panthers in Week 16, Arizona’s playoff hopes have been dashed. Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon shared his focus for the final two games of the season, which hold little significance for the team.

“What I’m concerned about is, are we doing things the right way?” Gannon remarked, according to Theo Mackie of AZ Central. “Are we disciplined enough to stick to our process to maximize the opportunity to compete and win a game?”

Wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., amid a challenging rookie season, expressed his desire to regain his collegiate confidence during the last two games.

“I’m not gonna lie and say it’s been easy,” Harrison confessed. “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 head coach Sean McVay expressed optimism regarding the return of right tackle Rob Havenstein (shoulder) for Week 17. If Havenstein is unable to play, Joe Noteboom will step in, as reported by Sarah Barshop.

Seahawks

• Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald mentioned that running back Kenneth Walker III might be available to return from IR if the team extends their season long enough to allow it, per John Boyle.