SANTA CLARA — The 49ers and coach Kyle Shanahan are adamant that there’s nothing wrong with Ricky Pearsall Jr. that a few opportunities wouldn’t solve.
Queries about Pearsall’s lack of involvement over the last couple of weeks have clearly left Shanahan annoyed.
“Yeah, I was getting annoyed too,” Pearsall said with a wry smile Sunday following a 37-24 win over the Tennessee Titans at Levi’s Stadium.
Pearsall demonstrated what makes him special against Tennessee, catching six passes for a game-high 96 yards with smooth routes and acceleration, his best game statistically since Sept. 21 when he had eight catches for 117 yards against Arizona.
He also showed what makes him frustrating, injuring an ankle on the first play of the game and then leaving with a knee issue of undetermined severity. No big deal, Pearsall said, all part of the game. Just as waiting for his turn in the flow of the game is part of the game.
The problem was, at least in terms of outside perception, that Pearsall and Purdy hadn’t looked sympatico in recent weeks. In his previous three games, Pearsall was targeted just nine times by Purdy with five receptions for 20 yards.
When that sort of thing happened on Deebo Samuel’s watch, it likely would have brought a cryptic complaint or two on social media. Samuel’s in Washington now, and even with Pearsall battling health issues, it’s a good thing for the 49ers.
Pearsall even assumed Samuel’s No. 1 jersey, even if his personality couldn’t be more different. Shanahan maintained that Pearsall didn’t do anything different than the last three games other than have the ball thrown his way.
“It’s something I had to learn the last few weeks,” Pearsall said. “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” list and likely never to return, it’s up to Jauan Jennings and Pearsall to be the top outside threats. Jennings can catch passes in a phone booth while trapped with a defender. Pearsall brings a different element with his ability to break 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 said 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 gain at the outset, and there was one early misfire — the only pass attempted to Pearsall that he didn’t catch. There was a perfect Purdy throw for 14 yards on a third-and-13 that was exquisitely timed, and a 38-yard laser on a rollout for a first down that Pearsall caught in stride and ended up being caught at the 17-yard line.
If there are any questions about Purdy’s ability to drive the ball, they should be shelved after that throw.
The balancing act for Purdy has been executing the offense to specifications while at the same time wanting to get Pearsall more involved. He did both against Tennessee, completing 23 of 30 passes for 295 yards and three touchdowns and also keeping George Kittle (eight receptions, 88 yards and a touchdown) and Jennings (three catches for 37 yards and two touchdowns) in the mix.
“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 said. “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.”
Although durable in college at Arizona State and Florida, Pearsall has dealt with shoulder and hamstring issues and a September PCL strain that cost him seven games. And that doesn’t even include being shot in a robbery attempt last August before his rookie season and miraculously surviving without serious ramifications.
So there’s an element of suspense when Pearsall visits the injury tent, as he did late when his knee began acting up. Shanahan said he hopes it’s just irritation from the previous PCL strain.
“I don’t think Ricky was much different than he was the last month,” Shanahan said of Pearsall’s game and whether he was more featured Sunday in 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 uninterested in detailing his aches and pains, noting correctly that 14 games into a season, practically every teammate has something going on physically.
“That first play, I got twisted and tangled and my ankle got caught when I landed,” Pearsall said. “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 called the knee injury “just some old stuff.”
“I wouldn’t say I’m super concerned,” he said 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 into a three-game gauntlet against Indianapolis, Chicago and Seattle, the 49ers need Pearsall to be at his best if they hope to climb into a playoff spot, which could bring them a home game. It looked Sunday as if Pearsall is up to the task, unless the MRI says otherwise.