Copyright Heavy.
The San Francisco 49ers continue to win despite having many of their offensive weapons, and they will need to continue to win since Brandon Aiyuk is no closer to returning. Coach Kyle Shanahan offered an update on Aiyuk and No. 2 wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, telling reporters Aiyuk’s 21-day window to return from a torn ACL and MCL will not be opened this week. Shanahan also updated Pearsall’s status, saying he and the Niners medical staff would “take it day by day.” Pearsall is on the mend since he last played Week 4 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Aiyuk, of course, is on the 49ers’ PUP list and has not played this season while recovering from his shredded knee in Week 7 of the 2024 season against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Niners (6-3) are in third place in the NFC West, a half-game back of the Los Angeles Rams (6-2) and Seattle Seahawks. San Francisco will host the Rams on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium. Ricky Pearsall May Be Available Against The Rams Aiyuk has been a huge loss to the Niners all year, but they are inevitably holding the wideout out until he’s as close to 100 percent — especially given their roughly 80 percent chance of reaching the playoffs. But Pearsall could come back against the Rams on Sunday, even though Shanahan could confirm the 2024 first-round pick’s availability. “They couldn’t confirm today he’d be available this week,” Shanahan said. “We’ll take it day by day, but we’ll continue to evaluate him as this week goes.” The 49ers have been leaning on franchise running back Christian McCaffrey, who leads the team in both rushing (596) and receiving (626). San Francisco’s offense has also gotten huge productivity from Kendrick Bourne, Jauan Jennings and Demarcus Robinson. So holding out Pearsall an extra week may not be the end of the world, especially amid San Francisco’s 3-2 record in its past five games without him and starting quarterback Brock Purdy — including its 34-24 win over the New York Giants. Health Is Important, But So Is The 49ers’ Week 10 Game The 49ers’ eyes are squarely focused on the playoffs, but their Week 10 game against the Rams could be the difference between getting there or not. San Francisco somehow knocked off the Rams at SoFi Stadium in overtime in Week 5, part of its 3-0 start against divisional opponents — despite the Niners’ plus-8 point differential in those games. So San Francisco is in an advantageous position, but holding serve at home against Los Angeles — which has only played one divisional game — would guarantee it the tiebreaker if the Rams and Niners finish tied. Sweeping a division rival isn’t easy, and the Rams have won three straight — by a margin of 86-20 — since the Niners went into their home and won. San Francisco will need to put up points to defeat Los Angeles.
