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SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 17: Ricky Pearsall #14 of the San Francisco 49ers warms up before a game against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium on November 17, 2024 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

The San Francisco 49ers could be without one of their top receivers next Monday night against the Colts. Second-year WR Ricky Pearsall left San Francisco’s game against the Titans on Sunday with knee and ankle injuries, adding to an injury-riddled season for the former first-round pick. The 49ers cruised to a comfortable 37-24 home victory over Tennessee Sunday afternoon.

Pearsall’s ankle injury appears to be a low-grade sprain, but he re-injured his PCL as well, an ailment he’s been dealing with all season. Those injuries combined could be tough to manage. On Monday, 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan said that they are concerned with Pearsall’s injury, though his status for next week’s game against the Colts is uncertain. He compared it to the knee injury backup QB Mac Jones has been dealing with.

“It’s real painful for awhile but it can go away,” Shanahan said, via ESPN’s 49ers beat reporter Nick Wagoner on X/Twitter. “Not at all like it was when he first did it but it does take time for that pain to go away. Hopefully sooner than later.”

The San Francisco 49ers’ Injury Apocalypse Continues

GettySANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 14: Ricky Pearsall #1 of the San Francisco 49ers takes the field before the game against the Tennessee Titans at Levi’s Stadium on December 14, 2025 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

49ers fans should be quite accustomed to bad injury news by now. San Fransisco has been one of the most snake-bitten teams in the league this year by injuries, with a slew of stars, starters, and key contributors missing significant time with injuries.

In addition to Pearsall and Jones, All-Pro LB Fred Warner and All-Pro ED Nick Bosa are done for the season with major ligament injuries. Top WR Brandon Aiyuk tore his ACL midway through last season and hasn’t played at all this year as he’s been rehabbing, and has now left the team due to personal disputes between him and the top brass.

Not only that, but key players such as starting QB Brock Purdy, WR Jauan Jennings, ED Bryce Huff, rookie first-round ED Mykel Williams, ED Yetur Gross-Matos, and LB Tatum Bethune have all missed time in the past or are currently out. It takes quite the team to withstand all those serious injury absences and still be competitive, yet the 49ers are sitting at 10-4 and are just a game back in the NFC West.

The San Francisco 49ers Can Clinch a Playoff Berth as Soon as Next Week

Only two teams in the NFC have a better record than the 10-4 San Francisco 49ers. Unfortunately, both teams are in their division: the Los Angeles Rams and the Seattle Seahawks are both 11-3, with the Rams currently winning that tiebreaker for the NFC’s No. 1 seed. The Seahawks currently occupy the No. 5 seed.

But the 49ers are sitting there with the No. 6 seed, half a game ahead of the Packers in the No. 7 seed and two games ahead of the Lions, who would be the next team up. If the 49ers beat the Colts and the Lions lose to the Steelers in Week 16, San Francisco would lock up a playoff spot.

And who knows, they’re only one game behind the Rams and Seahawks in the NFC West. They could still win that division and earn the NFC’s No. 1 seed. There might only be three weeks left in the regular season, but there’s a lot of football left to be played.

Ethan Woodie is an accomplished sports writer specializing in the NFL and college football for Heavy.com. He’s written for Heavy since 2025 and has years of experience writing for NFL Trade Rumors and Pro Football Focus (PFF). Woodie is an expert in draft scouting and his final 2025 Big Board was included in Arif Hasan’s media consensus board for Wide Left. More about Ethan Woodie

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