The 49ers are still in this thing. That's what Thursday night's 36-24 win means. Warts and all — and there are some gnarly warts on this team — they are 3-3 with one win in the division and 10 days off to get right before the Chiefs, then the Cowboys... then a bye.
Had they been 2-4 and 0-3 in the division with 10 days to stew, and their Super Bowl tormentors — a team they haven't beat in a decade — coming to town, things might have looked awfully bleak. Instead, they're a talented team with time to figure it out. They've shown in 2021 and 2022 that they are more than capable of doing just that.
But there is, in fact, much to work out (and plenty of injuries to be concerned about).
Despite the 255 yards and 3 touchdowns from Brock Purdy, and the 228 rushing yards, were you sold by that performance? The 49ers went three-and-out twice in the second half, and punted from Seahawks territory. Yes, they should have benefitted from a muffed punt, but the offense came to a screeching halt.
Their 20-point lead dwindled to six, and only a second Geno Smith interception, followed by a 76-yard Isaac Guerendo run bailed them out. The offense is still not firing on all cylinders.
The glaring factor is the absence of Christian McCaffrey, the foundation of the offense. While the 49ers are "ramping him up," the real noteworthy news reported by Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated is that Ricky Pearsall will return to practice next week.
The rookie receiver was close before last week, but they decided to "play it safe" with the Thursday night game on hand, and with an actual, real, in-season practice likely during the next 10 days.
Pearsall is the key to unlocking the 49ers' 2024 offense.
Despite the all-world performances from Fred Warner and Nick Bosa every week, this defense is young, hurt, and not nearly the behemoth it's been in the past. The 49ers' key to let that group round into form is to push the pedal on offense.
Let me preface this first by saying that Pearsall survived a gunshot wound to his chest and it's both unwise and unfair to place immediate, let alone monumental expectations upon him. I cannot fathom what he's gone through mentally, nor is that something Pearsall should feel any pressure to share. The 49ers should wait, and clearly have waited, to make sure Pearsall is comfortable to come back on his own terms, both mentally and physically.
That said, I don't think Pearsall needs to go for 10 catches and 150 yards to fundamentally alter and improve San Francisco's offense. He was drafted 31st overall because he is someone the 49ers believe can be a difference maker. I agree with their assessment.
Where they have struggled is in the red zone, and in beating man coverage, which Brock Purdy himself said he expects teams to throw at the 49ers this season. In the red zone the 49ers entered Thursday night with the worst average separation in the league at 2.8 yards.
Defenses couldn't do that with a man-beater nightmare in McCaffrey. Without McCaffrey, they have a problem.
Jordan Mason can settle in zone, but he's not a real route-running back. Deebo Samuel is more Swiss Army knife than receiver. He simply does not separate from man coverage. Jauan Jennings can win, and does, especially on third downs. But he doesn't frequently create meaningful separation. George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk are both excellent and capable of creating separation against man.
But with just those two to really worry about in man, teams frequently funnel safety help to at least one of them, and in the red zone, defensive backs can sometimes cut off throws to multiple targets on high-low concepts.
Kittle often has blocking responsibilities to account for, too, but the 49ers have let him eschew some of those because they need his receiving.
What that means is that there is less time for Purdy to find his targets because without Kittle, the already unreliable pass protection breaks down much quicker. Purdy has been as skittish as ever, missing open windows because he doesn't think he has enough time.
The reason the 49ers drafted Pearsall in the first place — besides him looking like a stud on tape — is because he has the elite, 90th-plus-percentile athleticism paired with incisive route-running capable of beating man coverage in a way Samuel cannot. Much of the reason the 49ers lost the Super Bowl was that Trent McDuffie dominated the matchup between them. The 49ers didn't have enough separators.
Talk to any 49ers corner who faced Pearsall in camp. He can play.
Putting Pearsall on the field gives the 49ers a true athlete and route-running craftsman who can at minimum challenge man coverage. Teams will have to account for him differently.
I expect his best spot to be Samuel's "Z" (flanker) spot. That gives you the ability to put Samuel in the backfield more, with advantageous off-ball matchups. And if Pearsall wins in man, teams will shift to more zone coverages. And we all know what Kyle Shanahan can dial up against zones.
Maybe it's premature to gas up a player who has not played. Maybe Pearsall doesn't return until after the bye week. But when you see what's not working in the 49ers offense and a TBD on McCaffrey's return, I see a clear spot for Pearsall to help, regardless of what numbers he puts up.
Thursday's win buys the 49ers the time to get Pearsall up to speed and potentially get the monkey off their back against the Chiefs... the team who probably pushed them to draft Pearsall in the first place.