San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall returned to action in the Week 11 win over the Arizona Cardinals. However, it wasn’t a welcome-back party performance from the second-year pass catcher, as he recorded one catch for zero yards.
Brock Purdy received more of the focus on his return due to the quarterback controversy that many in the NFL media are brewing after Mac Jones filled in admirably while the starter was out with an injury.
Nonetheless, if the 49ers want to get back in the race for the NFC West division, not only will they need the Los Angeles Rams to stumble, but key players like Pearsall will need to step up.
Despite not having an explosive statistical return, 49ers general manager John Lynch isn’t worried about Pearsall.
“We got Ricky Pearsall back out there last week, and the production didn’t show, but it was good for Ricky just to get back out there, get his legs underneath him,” Lynch said during a November 21 appearance on Bay Area radio station KNBR (h/t 49ers Web Zone). “Ricky does provide a different element, as we’ve talked about, and I believe that really opens our offense back.”
49ers Offense to Benefit From Ricky Pearsall’s Return
Before his injury, Pearsall appeared to be heading toward a breakout season, and while his return game wasn’t as dynamic as many would have hoped for, his addition to the offense is a significant plus. Lynch considers that Pearsall’s presence alone causes defenses to alter to the 49ers’ offense.
“When you have a guy like Ricky, who’s a threat as a route runner, is a threat downfield, as he showed earlier this season, and is just a playmaker, I think there’s extra attention that goes that way,” Lynch added. “And sometimes it’s just the presence of mind. I’ve played safety, and you’re leaning that way a little bit because your coach all week’s been talking about, ‘Hey, this Pearsall guy, he can get down the field.’ That’s your job as a DB.”
George Kittle Doesn’t Hold Back on Ricky Pearsall
After the win over the Cardinals, 49ers tight end George Kittle didn’t hold back on what he expects from Pearsall. As a result, the veteran gave a positive outlook for the team’s offense as they push for the playoffs.
“We’re positioned right where we want to be,“ Kittle told reporters postgame (h/t 95.7 The Game). “Our offense is basically healthy, where we want everybody to be at. If we can just keep rolling, keep making plays, Kyle keeps scheming it up for us. The crazy thing, too, is, what, Ricky [Pearsall] had one catch today? That was more catch than I had in my first game back.
“He’s going to pop off here in a sec because I wish you guys could watch practice the whole week, because he was just on fire the entire week. Just some of the looks weren’t there, but he’s going to have a great game. Then, when Ricky’s running his routes full speed and we get Jauan [Jennings] involved and me and Christian [McCaffrey] and [Kyle Juszczyk], I think it’s just a very lethal offense.”
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