SANTA CLARA — The 49ers and coach Kyle Shanahan are adamant that there’s nothing flawed with Ricky Pearsall Jr. that a couple of alternatives wouldn’t clear up.
Queries about Pearsall’s lack of involvement over the past couple of weeks have clearly left Shanahan aggravated.
“Yeah, I was getting annoyed too,” Pearsall stated with a wry smile Sunday following a 37-24 win over the Tennessee Titans at Levi’s Stadium.
Pearsall demonstrated what makes him particular in opposition to Tennessee, catching six passes for a game-high 96 yards with clean routes and acceleration, his finest sport statistically since Sept. 21 when he had eight catches for 117 yards in opposition to Arizona.
He additionally confirmed what makes him irritating, injuring an ankle on the primary play of the sport after which leaving with a knee concern of undetermined severity. No massive deal, Pearsall stated, all a part of the sport. Simply as ready for his flip within the circulate of the sport is a part of the sport.
The issue was, at the very least by way of outdoors notion, that Pearsall and Purdy hadn’t appeared sympatico in latest weeks. In his earlier three video games, Pearsall was focused simply 9 instances by Purdy with 5 receptions for 20 yards.
When that type of factor occurred on Deebo Samuel’s watch, it seemingly would have introduced a cryptic grievance or two on social media. Samuel’s in Washington now, and even with Pearsall battling well being points, it’s a very good factor for the 49ers.
Pearsall even assumed Samuel’s No. 1 jersey, even when his character couldn’t be extra completely different. Shanahan maintained that Pearsall didn’t do something completely different than the final three video games apart from have the ball thrown his method.
“It’s something I had to learn the last few weeks,” Pearsall stated. “It’s not about stats. It’s about the flow of the game and the impact I can make without the ball in my hands. The harder I go, run blocking and running my routes, the more Christian (McCaffrey) and the other guys are going to eat too. It’s just trusting in that and to be ready when the ball does come my way.”
With Samuel gone and Brandon Aiyuk on the “reserve/left team” record and certain by no means to return, it’s as much as Jauan Jennings and Pearsall to be the highest outdoors threats. Jennings can catch passes in a telephone sales space whereas trapped with a defender. Pearsall brings a unique factor along with his capacity to interrupt into the clear.
“He can run any route in the route tree and I think it’s his ability to beat man coverage and his hands too,” McCaffrey stated about Pearsall. “He’s an elite route-runner and can get open. In this offense, when you have someone who’s as dynamic as that, the ball is going to find him.”
Purdy and Pearsall teamed up for an 8-yard achieve on the outset, and there was one early misfire — the one go tried to Pearsall that he didn’t catch. There was an ideal Purdy throw for 14 yards on a third-and-13 that was exquisitely timed, and a 38-yard laser on a rollout for a primary down that Pearsall caught in stride and ended up being caught on the 17-yard line.
If there are any questions on Purdy’s capacity to drive the ball, they need to be shelved after that throw.
Ricky Pearsall Jr. (1) turns his ankle after being tackled by Tennessee’s Kevin Winston in a 37-24 win for the 49ers at Levi’s Stadium. Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Space Information Group
The balancing act for Purdy has been executing the offense to specs whereas on the similar time desirous to get Pearsall extra concerned. He did each in opposition to Tennessee, finishing 23 of 30 passes for 295 yards and three touchdowns and in addition maintaining George Kittle (eight receptions, 88 yards and a landing) and Jennings (three catches for 37 yards and two touchdowns) within the combine.
“Ricky and I are honest with each other. We talk about routes and concepts and after a play, he comes back, he tells me what I saw and I tell him what I saw,” Purdy stated. “Ricky’s got such a good heart. He wants to do what’s best for the team. He’s never going to go out of his way to complain about targets. He understands his moments and opportunities will come. Today was one of those days, but we’ve all been itching to get him involved.”
Though sturdy in school at Arizona State and Florida, Pearsall has handled shoulder and hamstring points and a September PCL pressure that price him seven video games. And that doesn’t even embrace being shot in a theft try final August earlier than his rookie season and miraculously surviving with out critical ramifications.
So there’s a component of suspense when Pearsall visits the damage tent, as he did late when his knee started performing up. Shanahan stated he hopes it’s simply irritation from the earlier PCL pressure.
“I don’t think Ricky was much different than he was the last month,” Shanahan stated of Pearsall’s sport and whether or not he was extra featured Sunday within the 49ers’ offense. “It just worked out that way and the ball came that way and he made the plays when it did. I think it says a lot about him to fight through it and get out there and have a great productive game.”
Pearsall is tired of detailing his aches and pains, noting accurately that 14 video games right into a season, virtually each teammate has one thing happening bodily.
“That first play, I got twisted and tangled and my ankle got caught when I landed,” Pearsall stated. “That’s just part of the game. You just go back, wrap the ankle and see if you can go. And I feel like I can go.”
He referred to as the knee damage “just some old stuff.”
“I wouldn’t say I’m super concerned,” he stated of the knee. “I don’t know what’s really going on with it. I’ve got to get some imaging done to see exactly what it is, but it’s probably the same stuff I was dealing with before. At least I know how to manage it now.”
Headed right into a three-game gauntlet in opposition to Indianapolis, Chicago and Seattle, the 49ers want Pearsall to be at his finest in the event that they hope to climb right into a playoff spot, which might deliver them a house sport. It appeared Sunday as if Pearsall is as much as the duty, until the MRI says in any other case.
