The San Francisco 49ers didn’t hold a practice yesterday, but did give out a participation list for their injured players, if there was an actual practice. The one name everyone was interested in seeing was wide receiver Ricky Pearsall. Kyle Shanahan labeled Pearsall as a “limited” participant in Tuesday’s walkthrough. Many viewed the label as a positive sign of his status on Saturday after he missed the last two games, including the season finale against Seattle.
David Lombardi of The SF Standard reports that Pearsall will operate at full speed today at practice and is optimistic he will return Saturday for the divisional round.
Why is this important? Well, given the unfortunate Achilles injury to star tight end George Kittle, the 49ers’ weapons on offense are dwindling. More importantly, Pearsall is the only receiver on the roster capable of beating man coverage. The Seahawks defense didn’t fear any downfield attacks from Brock Purdy and the 49ers’ passing offense. Seattle has the speed to get downhill and cover anything thrown in front of them and not allow any yards after the catch.
Even the threat of Pearsall can back off Seattle’s secondary and give the 49ers some breathing room to operate underneath with Christian McCaffrey, Demarcus Robinson, Jauan Jennings, Jake Tonges, and Kyle Juszczyk as passing targets.
The 49ers gameplanned all week for Philadelphia with the idea of Pearsall being out, and the offense put 23 points on the board with a few explosive plays, one of which was Jennings’ touchdown pass to McCaffrey. Philadelphia’s defense is formidable, but Seattle’s is better.
Week 1 is your example of what Pearsall can bring to the offense. Yes, Seattle’s defense wasn’t rolling or as tough as it is at the moment, but they still gave the 49ers all they could handle. Kittle went down in the game following his touchdown grab, Jennings was banged up, and Marquez Valdez-Scantling and Russell Gage both played significant snaps.
Pearsall responded with four catches for 108 yards on seven targets for a 27-yard per reception average. The biggest reception came on the game-winning drive. Pearsall beat Riq Woolen downfield for 45 yards to set the 49ers up at Seattle’s 33-yard line. The drive ended with a Purdy touchdown pass to Tonges, but it was set up by Pearsall’s ability to win against man coverage and get downfield.
The 49ers can’t afford to have a gameplan of short throws if they intend on moving on to the NFC Championship game. It’s fair to expect the 49ers’ ground game to have a tough time getting going again, but Trent Williams will be available this time. Pearsall is the key to unlocking the passing offense and making life easier for Purdy and Shanahan as a playcaller.
In Week 18, everything looked hard on offense. Scoring only three points is your evidence, but even positive gains looked difficult. The 49ers can’t have that happen again on Saturday night. Pearsall’s return gives the 49ers an explosive option and will open things up for others to contribute.
Saturday night is the most important game for the second-year receiver. Here is to hoping he makes it through the week of practice and is active on Saturday.
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