The 49ers should have WR1 back on Saturday.
The San Francisco 49ers are expected to have wide receiver Ricky Pearsall back for the first time since their Week 17 win over the Chicago Bears when they play the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Divisional Round on Saturday.
It’s been an up-and-down second year for Pearsall, who has dealt with knee and ankle injuries for much of the year, limiting him to nine games after playing in only 11 last year. He’s caught 36 passes for 528 yards this season, which ranks 78th in the NFL, but has shown the potential of being a top receiver for the 49ers when healthy.
With George Kittle out after suffering a torn Achilles last weekend, Pearsall’s availability could be even more important on Saturday, especially when considering the 49ers’ struggles to get separation in their Week 18 loss to the Seahawks two weeks ago.
But, will Pearsall be a full go or will he be limited against the Seahawks on Saturday?
Head coach Kyle Shanahan addressed the topic on Thursday, noting that Pearsall is still battling the knee injury, which is why he’s officially listed as questionable for Saturday.
“We wouldn’t put him on a snap count, but I saw improvement,” Shanahan said. “He’s still battling it, so that’s why he’s still questionable. But you know, we would never put a guy on an exact snap count, especially in a playoff game. But, we also understand where he is at and that it would probably have to be different than just his true status of when he is 100-percent healthy.”
Pearsall himself said he’s pretty confident he’ll play, which is a good sign.
“Yeah, I’m pretty confident [I’ll play],” Pearsall said on Thursday as well, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “I’ve been in every practice this week. You guys saw me practicing last week, but if you really saw me practicing, I couldn’t really lift up my leg very well. I was trying to get back. But this week gave me a little bit more optimism that I’d be playing this week. I’m getting more confident.”
But the wideout noted that the injury is a lingering one, which likely keeps him from being 100 percent in the game.
“I was going to say the toughest part is just being in and out,” Pearsall added. “That’s probably the toughest part, is it just lingering around. It’s one of those injuries that it’s not going to heal up until I’m fully rested and done, and I can’t do that right now, obviously. So, just getting it back to being manageable. But yeah, just any explosive movements [are the toughest parts], honestly.”
Pearsall’s explosiveness is a big part of him getting separation, so we’ll see how much he’s impacted there while going up against a pretty strong group of cornerbacks with the Seahawks. Still, he was a huge difference-maker when the two sides played back in Week 1, catching four passes for 108 yards in the 49ers’ 17-10 win.
When he’s on the field, the 49ers generate more explosive plays. It’s as simple as that. Without him, the offense gets bottled up more often, which can lead to weeks like Week 18. Pearsall seems to be a go for Saturday’s game. We’ll see what his impact ultimately can be.
Category: General Sports
