Entering Sunday, the 49ers had planned to slowly ease rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall into the fold. They’d just activated him to 53-man roster, 49 days after he was shot in the chest during an attempted robbery in downtown San Francisco.
But the plan for Pearsall changed somewhat when fellow receiver Deebo Samuel woke up sick. He tried to play, but was unable to continue. And another blow came not long after that when wideout Brandon Aiyuk suffered what the 49ers fear to be a torn ACL.
“So then, [the plan] changed a bunch,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “[Pearsall] had to do more than we expected today, and I was proud of how he handled it.”
Shanahan, for obvious reasons, was not proud of how the 49ers offense performed collectively in the team’s 28-18 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. They didn’t convert a single first down without the assistance of a penalty until several minutes had elapsed in the second quarter. The Chiefs stonewalled them in the run game. And quarterback Brock Purdy ended up throwing three interceptions.
“We didn’t do anything really good on offense,” Shanahan said. “We got our ass kicked today.”
But amidst the dispiriting mess that was Sunday’s loss, Pearsall did make three catches and exit with his health intact. And that’s significant, considering that the 49ers will need the rookie’s services more than ever as they try to right the ship moving forward — especially if Aiyuk is indeed out for the season.
Perhaps the 49ers will make a move for a starting wide receiver before next month’s trade deadline. Back in 2019, they traded for Emmanuel Sanders to fortify that spot, so there exists precedent for this. But even if the 49ers do add a piece and even if running back Christian McCaffrey does return next month, these first seven games of this 2024 season — and not just Sunday’s struggles against Kansas City — have clearly indicated that the 49ers will need their youngsters to pick up significant slack in the passing game.
The 49ers entered Sunday averaging just 2.8 yards of separation at the time of receptions, by far the lowest number in the NFL. They fared about as poorly without most of their weapons as one would expect against Kansas City’s smothering man-to-man defense.
But Pearsall did get his feet wet on Sunday while fellow rookie receiver Jacob Cowing flashed, catching two passes — including a 41-yard bomb from Purdy that momentarily kept the 49ers afloat.
“Kyle is going to have to scheme some stuff up,” 49ers tight end George Kittle said after the game. “The nice thing is we still have Jauan Jennings, me, [Kyle Juszcyzk], Deebo — we still have guys all over our rosters that can still make plays. [Cowing] ran that awesome curl pump today. He and [Pearsall] are going to be forced to grow up really fast. It’s going to be on us as veterans in the system to help them along and make sure they’re ready to play in these football games.”
After the game, Pearsall spoke on the record to the media for the first time since he was shot on the afternoon of Aug. 31. The rookie recounted the harrowing aftermath of the incident and shared that he broke into tears when 49ers general manager John Lynch entered his room at San Francisco General Hospital that evening.
“Just because it hit a little different, knowing that I wasn’t going to be able to play Week 1,” Pearsall said. “I was looking forward to the opportunity. So just the way it went down made me a little emotional, seeing him there. That’s when it all hit.”
At the time of Lynch’s visit, an initial X-ray and CAT scan had revealed no major damage to Pearsall’s body. The bullet had gone through-and-through, entering his chest and exiting near his armpit. But despite that news, which Shanahan has called “miraculous”, it was apparent Pearsall would have to miss some time.
“My first thoughts: ‘Was I going to be alive or not?'” Pearsall said. “Once I knew I was going to be OK and be able to live, [my thoughts were], ‘Was I going to be able to play football now?’ Once I got that answer, a light grew inside of me.”
Pearsall ended up sitting out the 49ers’ first six games. He said a considerable amount of scar tissue had built up around the bullet wound, limiting his range of motion. It was necessary for Pearsall to fully restore this for the 49ers to activate him.
The crowd at Levi’s Stadium gave Pearsall a standing ovation when he made his first career catch on a crossing route in the first half.
“It meant everything,” Pearsall said. “All the adversity I went through this past month, when the incident first happened, the first thing I thought was the guys in the locker room.”
Those teammates will now spend the next week searching for an on-field boost. The 49ers dropped to 3-4, the very same record they owned after a home loss to the Chiefs back in 2022. That team ended up ripping off 12 straight wins on its way to the NFC Championship Game, aided in large part by a trade for McCaffrey.
The 49ers host the Dallas Cowboys next week. Shanahan expects Jennings, who missed Sunday’s game with a hip injury, back for that one. The team’s bye comes after that — and there’s optimism that McCaffrey’s return from Achilles tendinitis may come then.
So there is hope on the horizon for the beleaguered 49ers. But they’re staggering right now, still without consecutive wins this season and now dealing with a seemingly serious injury to a star receiver who very recently signed a contract worth $30 million annually.
“It sucks,” Kittle said. “I love Brandon Aiyuk, the energy he brings, what he can do on the football field.”
The veteran tight end then lamented that Aiyuk had just powered through an excellent week of practice, delivering “unreal catches left and right.”
But Kittle refused to dwell on the past for too long. He quickly turned his attention to what the 49ers must do next in this marathon of a season.
“Football is a land of opportunity,” Kittle said. “Injuries happen. Stuff happens. Shitty things happen. Who’s going to step up, rise to the occasion, and take advantage of the opportunity?
“We have a lot of young players. It’s up to our vets to pull them along, whether they’re ready for them or not.”
Following his first career action, is Pearsall ready for that?
“I feel like I could play another game right now,” Pearsall said with a slight smile.
If they’re to properly rebound from another loss at the hands of their tormentors from Kansas City, the 49ers will need that and much more from their first-round pick moving forward.