49ers' Ricky Pearsall faces new injury setback after standout performance in win vs. Titans

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Just when receiver Ricky Pearsall finally got back to his early season form for the San Francisco 49ers he's now dealing with another injury that could impact his availability for the stretch run.

Pearsall had six catches for 96 yards Sunday to help San Francisco beat the Tennessee Titans 37-24 to move within one win of clinching a playoff berth.

But Pearsall came out of the game with ankle and knee injuries. He hurt his ankle on the first play from scrimmage but was able to return. He left late in the fourth quarter after aggravating a knee injury that had sidelined him for six games already this season. Coach Kyle Shanahan said there's a ''concern'' that Pearsall might miss time but the team won't know until later in the week.

''He landed on his knee and that's a painful thing when you have that," Shanahan said Monday. "So hopefully, it's not at all like it was when he first did it, but it does take time for that pain to go away and hopefully that'll be sooner than later over these next eight days.''

Pearsall struggled to produce in his first three games back with five catches for 20 yards but looked like his old self on Sunday when he got loose downfield for some big plays.

Shanahan said he was starting to get bothered by the questions about Pearsall's lack of production before Sunday, saying Pearsall had been playing well despite not getting the ball.

''I was getting annoyed too,'' Pearsall said after the game.

''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 Niners are hoping he will be healthy enough for the ball to come his way plenty down the stretch.

''He can run any route in the route tree and I think it's his ability to beat man coverage and his hands too,'' running back Christian McCaffrey said. ''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.''

What's working

Opening drive. The 49ers drove 70 yards on 12 plays for a touchdown on their first possession in what is becoming a regular occurrence. In six games with Purdy at quarterback, San Francisco has scored four TDs and one field goal on its opening drive. Purdy was sharp once again, going 5 for 6 for 50 yards and throwing a TD pass to Jauan Jennings on the drive.

Pass rush. Cam Ward came into the game having been sacked 49 times, tied for the most in the NFL. The Niners didn't bring him down once on 29 pass attempts as they remain last in the NFL with 16 sacks on the season. San Francisco has sacks on 3.2% of pass plays by its opponents, which would be the ninth worst mark of the Super Bowl era.

Stock up

Jennings. The opening-drive TD was one of two on the day for Jennings, who is back to his 2024 form after struggling with injuries earlier in the season. Jennings has a TD catch in three straight games with six in his last six contests as he has been Purdy's top red zone target.

Stock down

WR Brandon Aiyuk. The former No. 1 receiver's San Francisco tenure might be over. Aiyuk was placed on the reserve/left squad list on Saturday, making him ineligible to play the rest of the season. Aiyuk has been out since tearing his ACL last October. The team had initially expressed hope he would return midway through the season.

The Niners got good news on OL Spencer Burford (knee, ankle) and DT Jordan Elliott (knee), with both expected to be able to practice this week. ... LB Tatum Bethune (ankle), DE Sam Okuayinonu (ankle), LB Eric Kendricks (calf) and DL Yetur Gross-Matos (hamstring) all should practice this week and could return after missing time. ... LB Nick Martin remains in the concussion protocol.

Key stat

7: San Francisco converted its first seven third-down tries for the first time since Oct. 2, 2016, against Dallas. The last time the Niners had more consecutive third-down conversions to start a game came when Joe Montana led them to a 24-17 win over Tampa Bay on Nov. 18, 1984, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Next steps

The 49ers visit Indianapolis and its 44-year-old, recently un-retired quarterback, Philip Rivers, next Monday night.