49ers GM John Lynch and HC Kyle Shanahan were both asked if they expect WR Brandon Aiyuk to return this season, as it appears the two sides are headed towards a nasty divorce.

“Realistic? I’m not sure,” Lynch said, via 49ers Web Zone. “Hopeful? Yeah. So, I think that’s kind of where I’d leave that. He continues to rehab, and hopefully, that’s, like I’ve always said, we’re a better football team when Brandon’s out there, and I hope that’s the case. But I think that’s probably what it is — is hope right now. And I wish it were a little bit more than that.”

“I don’t necessarily know that the reporting was an inflection point, but I think, the entire time, it hadn’t been great,” Lynch admitted. “And so, you do your best to rectify those things, and then, everyone’s got to be professionals and conduct themselves in that manner. And so, that’s how we treat all our players. And we have great relationships with our players. We’ve had a great relationship with Brandon, and we look forward to that continuing.”

“Oh, I’m definitely still hopeful,” Shanahan added on Aiyuk. “I’m not counting on it, but I’m definitely still hoping that can happen.”

Rams

Rams CB Emmanuel Forbes Jr. struggled in Week 13’s loss to the Panthers, allowing five receptions for 110 yards and two touchdowns. Los Angeles HC Sean McVay is confident that Forbes Jr. will turn things around and points out that defensive backs must keep a short-term memory. 

“When you’re a corner, you better be well-equipped to be able to move forward and handle it,” McVay said, via RamsWire. “And you’re put in some challenging situations, those are hard downs for him. But he’s played a lot of really good football and he’ll respond. If you don’t have a short memory as a DB, it’s going to be a short career and he’s built to be able to move forward the right way and we have a lot of belief and trust in him.”

Seahawks 

Seahawks DL Leonard Williams made a big impact in Seattle’s 26-0 win over the Vikings, recording one sack on the day and consistently posing problems for Minnesota’s offensive line. Seattle HC Mike Macdonald thinks Williams has been one of the most dominant defensive linemen since last season. 

“Turn the tape on and show me players that are playing better than him,” Macdonald said, via Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic. “I’d be willing to watch that tape. It wouldn’t be a long tape.”

Seahawks DT Byron Murphy II has also been instrumental to Seattle’s defense with seven sacks so far this season. Murphy feels that the work he put in over the offseason is paying off. 

“It means a lot,” Murphy said. “It’s showing that my preparation and everything I did in the offseason is paying off.”

Seahawks C Olu Oluwatimi said Murphy and Williams are nuisances in practice. 

“They are problems in practices and on game day, they’re going to be a problem,” Oluwatimi said.