Even when he wasn't a primary target for the San Francisco 49ers passing game, wide receiver Ricky Pearsall nevertheless made a difference for head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense.
With fellow wideout Brandon Aiyuk absent from the Niners' plans all season, Pearsall was the lone remaining pass catcher with the consistent ability to separate at all levels of the field. In turn, his mere presence forced opposing defenses to respect the threat, thereby helping open up additional opportunities underneath for quarterback Brock Purdy and Co.
Without Pearsall, who remains out with a PCL injury in his knee, the Seattle Seahawks defense had little trouble clamping down on San Francisco's offense in nickel formations throughout the course of Week 18's tilt on Saturday night, holding Purdy and the offense to a mere 173 yards of total offense and just 120 net passing yards.
Ugly.
Slower receivers like Jauan Jennings and Kendrick Bourne may have a knack for the more physical style of catches in 50-50 situations. But Pearsall's absence had a direct impact on the 49ers' challenging hopes of upending a resolute Hawks defense, and those hopes were ultimately thwarted.
If the Niners want to get beyond yet another strong defense in the Wild Card round against the Philadelphia Eagles, they'll need Pearsall back in form.
Ricky Pearsall's return is vital for 49ers to upend Eagles
Despite its own offensive woes this season, Philly's defense nevertheless poses a legitimate threat to San Francisco, ending the regular season with 325 points allowed, second in the conference only to Seattle's 292.
Against the pass, coordinator Vic Fangio's defense is allowing a respectable 5.5 net yards per play, which is good for seventh best in the league.
Putting it bluntly, while Philadelphia's defense isn't quite as elite as that of the Seahawks, it's nevertheless potent enough to thwart whatever Shanahan and Purdy have to throw at it.
Pearsall's return could be the crucial X-factor the 49ers so desperately need.
On Monday, Shanahan told reporters Pearsall "re-aggravated" his PCL, which is the reason he was held out from Week 18. As for the receiver's status in the Wild Card round, the head coach indicated things would be monitored throughout the week.
Hopefully, those developments work in the 49ers' favor as they'll need their best deep threat to counter what'll be yet another extreme defensive test in a win-or-go-home scenario.