The San Francisco 49ers close their Week 17 slate on Sunday Night Football with wide receiver availability under day-of-review and a final decision pending pregame inactives.
Ricky Pearsall missed Week 16 after an in-week setback and returned to limited practice work midweek, giving the 49ers a chance to clarify their receiver rotation before kickoff. The late window tightens standard processes: confirm health baselines, assess functional movement in warmups, and finalize roles across personnel groupings with the playoff picture already secured and seeding still at stake.
Is Ricky Pearsall Playing vs. the Bears in Week 17?
With the Chicago Bears on the opposite sideline, execution in contested catch areas and timing on intermediate throws will be central, and whether Pearsall is part of that plan will be confirmed approximately 90 minutes before kickoff.
Pearsall is listed as questionable with ankle and knee issues ahead of Sunday night, following a limited practice workload on Wednesday and Thursday. Head coach Kyle Shanahan described the week’s on-field work as a tangible step compared to last week’s inactivity: “He got through it,” Shanahan said of Pearsall.
“He was able to go some, as opposed to last week he wasn’t able to go at all. I think it got better for him each day and hopefully it’ll continue here over the next 48 hours.”
Pearsall did not play in Week 16 at Indianapolis after aggravating a prior PCL injury and sustaining an ankle sprain, and his participation level this week reflects cautious reintroduction within the team’s standard ramp. Official status will be determined after pregame testing and evaluation.
On Saturday morning, NFL insider Adam Schefter provided an update on Pearsall’s status. “49ers WR Ricky Pearsall, listed as questionable for Sunday night due to knee and ankle injuries, is likely to play, per source,” he wrote on X.
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The 49ers will decide Pearsall’s availability after warmups, with the club indicating his week trended positively and listing him questionable on the final report. The confirmation arrives with the release of inactive players approximately 90 minutes before the 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff.
In practice, the staff will assess his movement, comfort during route breaks, and post-practice response before inclusion. Should Pearsall be active, the 49ers gain another option to diversify splits and spacing, complementing the primary targets and easing defensive leverage.
If he is inactive, San Francisco will continue with established rotations that carried the passing game last week. Either path is consistent with a medical-first approach this late in the season.
The 49ers’ offensive plan against the Bears emphasizes rhythm and timing to control downs and avoid third-and-long. With Pearsall’s status pending, the 49ers will script personnel groupings to maximize matchups in the slot and on the perimeter, pairing quick-game answers with selective intermediate shots to keep the Bears honest.
