49ers

49ers WR Mike Evans has been dealing with broken ribs in weeks four and five, and is coming off a big seven-reception, 113-yard, and one-touchdown performance against the Seahawks. San Francisco C Jake Brendel praised Evans for his toughness and knows how much pain he’s playing through. 

“We all know what he’s been playing through, the immense pain that he has every single play. He still goes out there and does his very best to get a completion for us. It’s fantastic,” Brendel said, via Matt Barrows of The Athletic. 

Evans’ teammate from youth AAU basketball, Terran Petteway, thinks the receiver’s broken ribs is only firing him up. 

“I think it pissed him off, honestly,” Petteway said. “And when that happens, it’s a totally different Mike, a totally different beast. Once that Mike comes into play, it’s game over.”

Petteway reflected on their days in AAU basketball, saying Evans always had a competitive edge to him.

“If we were playing a team that was a little chippy, that was doing stuff a little extra after the whistle, you would see it come out,” Petteway said. “It would be a little elbow, a little trash talk going on. And it was, ‘Oh, you’re just igniting the flames now. That picnic fire is about to turn into a forest fire real quick.’”

Cardinals

• Cardinals HC Mike LaFleur committed to Jayden Williams at left tackle and defended the seventh-round pick: “I think we’re all confident. You guys probably saw it if you guys watched the All-22, I mean he did some good stuff and unfortunately in a 2-minute situation didn’t hear the snap count as well as he wanted to and that was kind of the one there, the second to the last play before the half. But he did some really good stuff against a really good front and his demeanor never changes. He’s made of the right stuff.” (Josh Weinfuss)
• LaFleur made it clear thre won’t be an offensive “overhaul or anything like that” after trading away WR Marvin Harrison Jr. LaFleur named Jalen Brooks and fifth-rounder Reggie Virgil as options to take over the X role Harrison was playing. (Weinfuss)

Rams

Rams HC Sean McVay talked about whether or not RB Kyren Williams is a designed pass catcher or if he’s just a check down option.

“It’s both,” McVay said, via Rams Wire. “A couple of the catches that he had in the two-minute, he’s a late checkdown and Matthew’s getting through his progressions. Then sometimes, he is the primary for us. He’s done a great job in that phase of continuing to improve and be a weapon for us. I think it’s a little bit of both. When the ball is in his hands, good things happen and we want to be able to do that. But I think when we’ve been at our best offensively, the ball gets spread around and using all five eligibles. In a lot of instances, if you have to honor the back, it does change the way that a lot of these coverages can unfold, if you will.”