Will Cardinals bring back Wilks, Keim?

Arizona Cardinals: Most first-year head coaches have plenty of job security, but many have questioned whether Steve Wilks will be back after the Cardinals fell to 3-11 with another blowout defeat on Sunday. CBS Sports reported Sunday that Wilks’ job is in jeopardy, and the Arizona Republic said Monday his firing “seems a foregone conclusion.” Various reports have also suggested general manager Steve Keim’s job could be in jeopardy. Keim signed an extension through 2022 in February, but he has since pled guilty to extreme DUI, and the roster fell apart this season, with several recent draft classes disappointing. Keim has been with the Cardinals since 1999, working his way up after starting as a regional scout. Arizona won 34 games during his first three seasons on the job, reaching the NFC Championship in 2015.

Los Angeles Rams: Once coasting at 8-0, the Rams are 3-3 since, and their two-game losing streak has suddenly created the possibility that they could miss out on a first-round playoff bye. Holding the tiebreaker from their meeting in Week 14, the Chicago Bears would jump the Rams in the standings by winning out and getting one loss from L.A. Linebacker Dante Fowler Jr. told reporters the importance of getting the bye makes Sunday’s matchup at the Cardinals a huge one. “We gotta play it like it’s our last game and play like it’s a must-win game,” Fowler said. “… We know what’s in front of us. We’ve just got to go take it.” The Rams close the season at home against the 49ers.

San Francisco 49ers: On the practice squad before the season, Nick Mullens continues to impress head coach Kyle Shanahan, who was asked Monday if he planned to get C.J. Beathard any work in the final two games. “Nick deserves to be in,” Shanahan said. “Nick’s played very well, and he’s gotten better as he’s gone. I thought yesterday was probably Nick’s best game, especially the way he finished it in that fourth quarter. … He’s done too good of a job. We’d love to get C.J. more playing time, but Nick’s earned it and I’m not taking him out.” Looking forward to next year when starter Jimmy Garoppolo will be healthy, Shanahan is excited about his quarterback trio. “It’s neat when you have some choices that you believe you can win with,” he said. “I think we’ve got three guys in our building that give us a chance to win.”

Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks emerged from Sunday’s overtime loss at San Francisco with a few key injuries, but they could be getting reinforcements for Sunday night’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Head coach Pete Carroll said linebacker K.J. Wright (knee) will return to practice this week, though it’s unclear if he’ll play for the first time since Week 10. “He’s going to practice this week, so we’ll see how he does,” Carroll said on 710 ESPN Seattle. “He looked fine last week in the amount of work that we gave him.” Right guard D.J. Fluker (hamstring) also has a chance to return, which would be a major boost after replacement Jordan Simmons went down with a knee injury that Caroll said “is going to be an issue.”

—Field Level Media