NFC West

Despite the team's long run of success during Russell Wilson's 10 seasons as the starting quarterback, it's not hard to find former Seattle Seahawks teammates who will go on the record about issues they had with how he was treated compared to them.

Appearing on Richard Sherman's podcast, former Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright explained that Wilson "wasn't held to the same accountability" standard as everyone else on the roster.

There have been indications over the years that multiple members of the Seahawks, particularly during the Legion of Boom era, were not happy with the treatment they received compared to Wilson.

In a September 2018 story for Sports Illustrated, Greg Bishop and Robert Klemko noted the season after the Seahawks won the Super Bowl, 2014, marked the beginning of the end for the franchise's run of dominance.

One member of the Seahawks at the time told Bishop and Klemko that head coach Pete Carroll "protected" Wilson and they "hated" it.

"Any time he f--ked up," the player said, "Pete would never say anything. Not in a team meeting, not publicly, never. If Russ had a terrible game, he would always talk about how resilient he was. We’re like, what the f--k are you talking about?"

The Seahawk player also used an analogy of a pack of wolves to describe the difference in treatment between Wilson and everyone else: "It’s as if Carroll sent his pack out to hunt but kept one wolf back, and that wolf still ate when the others returned with food."

In the wake of Seattle's 17-16 Week 1 win over the Denver Broncos in Wilson's first game after being traded, players from the previous era of Seahawks football were quick to make posts on social media apparently directed at the star quarterback:

Despite the frustration expressed by Wright and Sherman on the podcast, it's not unusual for teams to go out of their way to protect a franchise quarterback in any way possible.

The Seahawks from 2012 to 2016 might be the last team in the current era of the NFL that can say it was genuinely led by the defense. That group led the league in points allowed for four consecutive years from 2012 to 2015 and ranked third in 2016.

Wilson wasn't always the driving force of the offense, especially in his first couple of seasons, because Marshawn Lynch was at running back. But he had several key moments for the team in those early years. He was instrumental in Seattle's fourth-quarter comebacks in NFC Championship Game wins over the San Francisco 49ers in 2013 and Green Bay Packers in 2014.

Would the Seahawks have even gotten to the Super Bowl in those years without Wilson? It's always hard to try giving individuals credit for a team's success, even if it sounds like Wright and Sherman simply wanted Wilson to be given the same treatment they got.

Arizona Cardinals star Kyler Murray is willing to extend an olive branch to the Las Vegas Raiders fan who allegedly struck him in the face following Arizona's 29-23 victory Sunday.

"No hard feelings. If I see him, I’d shake his hand," Murray told reporters.

The Cardinals quarterback added it was "a live game."

Las Vegas police said Monday they were looking into the matter and confirmed authorities received a battery complaint.

Cameron Cox of 12 News shared a clip of Byron Murphy Jr. scoring the game-winning touchdown in overtime and Arizona's subsequent celebration. At one point, Murray runs toward a field-level suite to high-five fans. One fan appears to swipe his hand at Murray's face.

Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury didn't mince words in the immediate aftermath.

"I think the guy is a low-life, whoever did it," he told reporters. "I hope they arrest him and he gets fired and he never can go to another game."

Following Murray's comments, the matter may be settled for the most part pending the outcome of the police investigation. It could be a while before the two-time Pro Bowler is back at Allegiant Stadium as well.

The Cardinals aren't scheduled to play the Raiders again until 2026, and that will be a home game for Arizona. A meeting could happen as early as 2024, but it would also be at State Farm Stadium if the teams are paired up.

The San Francisco 49ers have signed veteran running back Marlon Mack to their active roster from the practice squad, his agents confirmed to ESPN's Adam Schefter on Tuesday.

The move comes as the Niners are without Elijah Mitchell and Tyrion Davis-Price due to injury.

The 49ers initially signed Mack to their practice squad on Sept. 12.

San Francisco lost Mitchell to a knee injury in a 19-10 loss to the Chicago Bears in Week 1 and he is expected to miss two months.

Davis-Price, selected by the 49ers in the third round of the 2022 NFL draft out of LSU, is expected to be sidelined for multiple weeks with a high ankle sprain suffered in San Francisco's Week 2 win over the Seattle Seahawks.

The injuries left the 49ers with Jeff Wilson Jr. and Jordan Mason on the depth chart.

Wilson is expected to serve as the team's top running back moving forward. He has 27 carries for 106 yards through two games and four catches for 27 yards.

Mason, meanwhile, has appeared in San Francisco's first two games on special teams and hasn't seen any time in the backfield.

Mack, 26, spent the first five seasons of his career with the Indianapolis Colts. His best season with the franchise came in 2019 when he rushed for 1,091 yards and eight touchdowns in 14 games.

The 26-year-old appeared in just one game for the Colts in 2020 after suffering a torn Achilles. He returned in 2021 but appeared in just six games and fell out of favor in Indianapolis with the rise of Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines.

Now with the injuries to Mitchell and Davis-Price, Mack has a chance to prove he belongs on an NFL roster again, and it's a safe bet that he'll see some solid playing time against the Denver Broncos in Week 3.

Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury admits his team must get off to better starts after a pair of lackluster first-half performances over the first two weeks.

"I think collectively we've just got to start faster," Kingsbury told reporters Monday.

Arizona fell behind the Kansas City Chiefs 23-7 at halftime and 37-7 after three quarters en route to a 44-21 Week 1 loss.

On Sunday, the Las Vegas Raiders led 20-0 at halftime. However, quarterback Kyler Murray engineered a tremendous comeback that resulted in a 29-23 overtime win.

Arizona scored the final 22 points of the game as Murray accounted for 277 passing yards, 28 rushing yards, two touchdowns (one passing, one rushing) and a pair of two-point conversions.

Kingsbury said he has to put the offense in a better position to succeed off the bat but noted his quarterback's ability to take over games and save the day, though he'd prefer to see Murray do so from the start of games.

"I'd love to see it from the start every week," Kingsbury said. "I think that's the ability and the talent that he has, and I've got to do a better job of getting our offense off to a quicker start, there's no doubt. But we've seen him do that before, and he can make it go when he wants to."

The Cardinals have been short-handed on offense without wide receivers DeAndre Hopkins (suspension) and Rondale Moore (injury), but Murray still led the team to a second-half performance good enough to overcome a 20-point deficit. Arizona will look to ride that momentum into a faster start Sunday when it hosts the Los Angeles Rams.

Las Vegas police are investigating an allegation that a fan struck Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray after the team's 29-23 overtime win over the Las Vegas Raiders, per the Associated Press.

The alleged incident occurred with the team celebrating Byron Murphy Jr.'s walk-off touchdown. Murray began celebrating with fans before reacting to what appeared to be a slap (0:26 in video):

Police spokesman Larry Hadfield confirmed there was a battery complaint made at 6:30 p.m. local time, with an allegation stating "a spectator at the stadium struck a professional football player."

Murray was not specifically named by Hadfield.

An investigation is reportedly ongoing and a suspect has not yet been identified.

The Cardinals were on the road at Allegiant Stadium and overcame a 20-0 halftime deficit to earn their first win of the year. Murray scored a rushing touchdown with no time left in the fourth quarter, eventually forcing overtime with a two-point conversion.

Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner isn't believed to have suffered a serious ankle injury in Sunday's 29-23 overtime win over the Las Vegas Raiders, per the NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Conner is coming off a stellar 2021 season in which he earned the second Pro Bowl selection of his six-year NFL career. He ran for 752 yards and finished second in the league with a career-high 15 rushing touchdowns to go with 375 receiving yards and three more scores. He missed two games last year due to a heel injury.

The Cardinals rewarded Conner with a three-year contract extension this past offseason. The 27-year-old has gotten off to a slower start in 2022, rushing for 51 yards and a touchdown through two games.

Conner's potential absence would be another early blow to Arizona's offense. Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins was suspended for the first six games of the season for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing drugs.

If Conner misses time, fifth-year backup Darrel Williams will assume the starting role for the Cardinals. Eno Benjamin and Jonathan Ward are the next two running backs available on the depth chart.

Williams has proved himself to be a capable ball-carrier when given the opportunity. He spent the first four years of his career with the Kansas City Chiefs, and last season he rushed for career-highs of 558 yards and six touchdowns while adding 47 receptions for 452 yards and two more scores.

The Cardinals will hope to get Conner back sooner rather than later—and it appears as though they will—but the team should be in good hands with Williams in the backfield if Conner in fact misses time.

When Jimmy Garoppolo restructured his deal with the San Francisco 49ers in late August, it included bonuses that could increase his earnings from a base salary of $6.5 million to a total of $16 million.

On Monday, ESPN's Field Yates offered more details on the specifics of some of his potential bonus payouts:

According to Spotrac, Garoppolo also has a $500,000 bonus for playoff games where he takes at least 50 percent of the snaps, an additional $500,000 bonus if he takes 50 percent of the snaps in the NFC Championship Game, another $500,000 bonus if the Niners win that game and a $1 million bonus if the team wins the Super Bowl and he plays 50 percent of the snaps.

His reworked deal additionally includes a full no-trade clause—which essentially is a moot point after Trey Lance was lost for the season on Sunday with an ankle injury, ensuring Garoppolo would be the team's starter the rest of the way—and a no-tag clause for the 2023 offseason.

Garoppolo, who wasn't present for practices or meetings during training camp and also didn't throw for much of the offseason as he recovered from surgery on his right shoulder, said stepping back into the starting position wasn't a huge adjustment.

"It was more just about getting the shoulder ready," he told reporters. "Mentally, I knew the scheme. Some of the new plays took a little while to learn, there's always some new wrinkles in the offense, but for the most part it was just, 'Once my shoulder was good, I was ready to roll.'"

He finished 13-for-21 for 154 yards and a touchdown after replacing Lance in the first quarter of San Francisco's 27-7 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, adding a rushing score.

It was just two games into Lance's first season as the starter after the Niners bumped him to the top of the depth chart this offseason and initially sought trade offers for Garoppolo before agreeing with him on a reworked deal.

"It felt good to be back out there," Garoppolo said. "I felt terrible for Trey. I've been on that side in this league. It's tough. Every person has their share of injuries. But that sucks for him and I feel bad for him, but he's our brother and we'll pick him up."

As Trey Lance was being carted off the field during Sunday's win over the Seattle Seahawks, all San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan could do was apologize.

“I’m sorry. You were playing your ass off," Shanahan said, per Peter King of NBC Sports.

Lance suffered a broken ankle on a designed run late in the first quarter of the 49ers' 27-7 victory over the division rival Seahawks and will miss the remainder of the 2022 season.

It was a heartbreaking end to a season that never really got underway for Lance, the 49ers' 2021 first-round pick. The second-year quarterback struggled in a season-opening loss to the Chicago Bears, but that could largely be attributed to inclement weather and sloppy field conditions at Soldier Field.

The 49ers' offense was crisp from the outset Sunday, kicking a field goal on their opening possession and driving deep into Seahawks territory when Lance went down. San Francisco kicked a second field goal after Jimmy Garoppolo replaced Lance on that drive.

Garoppolo finished with 154 yards passing and a touchdown and will be the starting quarterback for the remainder of the season.

“Four of our six years here we’ve lost the starting quarterback to injury,” Shanahan said. “I mean, you just deal with it. You’ve got to. Our team really loves Trey. But these guys, they plan on winning games regardless of the obstacles.

“We’ll be somber Monday morning, but this league doesn’t wait for anybody. It’s unbelievable, really, what’s happened here. We’ve only played two years without a major quarterback injury. But really, this is the first time we’ve had a really good Plan B. It’s a long time since this franchise had a quarterback situation like this one, with two guys we know can win—probably back to Joe Montana and Steve Young. I’m not comparing these guys to Joe and Steve, but I’m talking about going into games now knowing we’ve still got a great chance.”

Garoppolo spent most of the offseason expecting to be playing football elsewhere after the 49ers handed the keys to the offense over to Lance. Instead, he'll be tasked with saving the season amid the young quarterback's uncertain future.

The San Francisco 49ers now need Jimmy Garoppolo, but the quarterback didn't expect to remain with the team this season.

Garoppolo discussed the turn of events with Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated:

I mean, honestly, at one point, I didn't think I was going to be a Niner. I was pretty set on going to a couple different teams I had in mind. And then all of a sudden things switched [at the] last second. There was a lot of familiarity with the organization, the offense, teammates, all that stuff played a role. It was just a good opportunity. I know we got a good team here and I know everyone keeps saying this, but we've got a chance at a Super Bowl and that's what I'm trying to do.

Though Garoppolo had started 45 games over the past five years in San Francisco, second-year No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance was named the starting quarterback this offseason with Garoppolo squarely on the trade block. After months of rumors, the 49ers decided to bring the 30-year-old back on a restructured contract.

It was a significant change considering Garoppolo reportedly didn't even have a playbook or practice with the team in training camp, per Peter King of NBC Sports.

Lance likely suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Sunday's game, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. Garoppolo took over and totaled two touchdowns in the eventual 27-7 win over the Seattle Seahawks.

After a wild offseason, the veteran is back where he started last year and looking to help the 49ers compete for a title.