ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that the Seahawks are bracing for Russell Wilson to miss at least a month and possibly 6-8 weeks with his ruptured middle-finger tendon likely requiring surgery. That’s big news for the rest of the NFC West.
Eight weeks is when the 49ers travel to Seattle.
Arizona’s tendency to deploy an unusual amount of wideouts means that the 49ers will likely have to dip further into their pool of cornerbacks. Expect plenty of nickel (one extra defensive back) and even dime (two extra DBs) packages throughout the contest.
That’s why cornerback Josh Norman’s recovery from his bruised lung injury — he’s not on the injury report — is a big deal. The 49ers need as much veteran talent as possible.
Fellow corner Emmanuel Moseley has played very well in his two games so far — he made a pair of quality breakups against star Seattle wideout DK Metcalf last week — but a rematch against his nemesis awaits.
The good news for Lance is that running back Elijah Mitchell, who has been dealing with a shoulder injury since Week 2, has been cleared to play Sunday. The sixth-round pick will join fellow rookie Trey Sermon in the 49ers’ backfield, potentially providing a one-two punch against the Cardinals.
Mitchell had a standout debut in Week 1 in Detroit, carrying the ball 19 times for 109 yards and one touchdown, and he could provide a solid check-down option for Lance. The three offensive rookies have been drawing on each other for support in their debut seasons.
Byron Murphy Jr. unlikely to play on Sunday for the Arizona Cardinals
One of the best players on the team and one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL early in the season has been Byron Murphy Jr. According to head coach Kliff Kingsbury, he’s unlikely to play on Sunday.
That’s a huge blow to a defense who has been playing very well , especially when you consider they are not stopping the run well.
What they have been doing is play excellent pass defense, led by Murphy Jr.
Now the question is who steps up for the secondary?
The Cardinals also could be without Marco Wilson, which would really be a big issue to overcome.
Let’s hope it’s not a huge issue and the Cardinals offense steps up and continues to play at a high level making the Murphy loss a little easier to deal with.
Get well soon, Byron.
“I’m excited but I’m not going to make it bigger than what it is,” Lance said. “I was hoping Jimmy would be healthy but he’s done an awesome job and him and Nate have helped me out a ton this week and (quarterbacks coach) Rich (Scangarello) and coach Shanahan as well. So, I’m excited for the opportunity.”
“I’m excited to see him play,” Shanahan said. “I know he’s got the ability to do a lot of things but it’s going to be his first time out there for the whole game. I’m just pumped to see him play but I don’t go into it expecting anything. You try to prepare a guy as good as you can from our standpoint. I know he’s done his part preparing and when Sunday comes that’s usually the spot where you get to have fun and cut it loose and you live with the results.”
Kyle Shanahan knows 49ers need more from ‘weapon’ Brandon Aiyuk
“No, definitely not,” Shanahan told KNBR’s “Tolbert, Krueger & Brooks” on Thursday. “And if not him, somebody. We need a lot of guys to step up. There’s five eligibles. [Deebo] has done a real good job. We need [George] Kittle to step it up, too. I know how much Kittle has been battling his injuries, so that’s been the toughest thing with him. [Mohamed Sanu] has done some good things in the slot.
“Whether it’s Aiyuk, whether it’s [Trent] Sherfield, Jauan Jennings has done some good things for us. But also, Raheem [Mostert] was kind of a weapon, not just as a runner, but also as a third-down back who could do some stuff in the pass game. We kind of lost that where [Kyle Juszczyk] has stepped it up and done real well in that role, but the more weapons you can have out there is really when you can do everything.”