The San Francisco 49ers playoff hopes were dashed before they even took the field on Sunday against the Dolphins. Yet, the lack of do-or-die pressure did not stop the 49ers from continuing a season-long trend of getting in their own way. Like a child tripping over their shoelaces, San Francisco stumbled, fell, and committed penalties galore. None more crushing than rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall’s red zone blunders.
Ricky Pearsall’s Penalties
Pearsall began his day by catching a career-high four passes for 37 yards, including a 21-yard crosser. The 31st overall pick was looking like an early breakout candidate and a positive sign down the stretch of a lost season. Positives quickly took a turn towards the negative in a flash.
Trailing 16-10 with eight minutes left in the third quarter, the 49ers were marching and on their way to score a second touchdown. A 28-yard strike from quarterback Brock Purdy and tight end George Kittle set up the offense inside the red zone.
First down on the Dolphins’ 20-yard line, head coach Kyle Shanahan called a Patrick Taylor Jr. running play. Pearsall was flagged for illegal formation, moving the offense back to the 25-yard line. One mistake is not a drive killer, but knowing the 49ers’ 25th-ranked red zone offense, a second would be the nail in the coffin.
Quarterback Brock Purdy escaped pressure on second down, setting up a manageable third down and eight. On the next play, Purdy delivered a strike to Deebo Samuel over the middle for 16 yards. The 49ers got the first down and made it to Miami’s two-yard line. Or so they thought.
Just as San Francisco’s offense began to celebrate overcoming a first and 15, the dreaded yellow flag was thrown.
Referee Scott Novak announced, “Illegal formation. Number 14 of the offense. Five-yard penalty. Repeat third down.”
Head coach Kyle Shanahan immediately started yelling at Pearsall from the sideline. Following the drive that ended with a missed 41-yard field goal by Jake Moody, wide receiver coach Leonard Hankerson was seen chewing on Pearsall on the sideline.
“There, a really heated little chat with Pearsall” pic.twitter.com/2tmIHiHMAW
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) December 22, 2024
Asked about Hankerson’s scolding, Ricky Pearsall said he did not take it personally and quickly moved on.
Aftermath
“It’s always all love with him,” Pearsall said in a conversation with Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. “He’s just being the coach that he is. And for me, I’ve just got to accept the coaching and learn from it. It’s football. Emotions are high anyway. And I have to clean those things up. There was nothing that [happened] after that. Hank went right back to being normal. We all have the respect for each other.”
Pearsall also explained what happened on the second illegal formation penalty that negated Samuel’s 16-yard reception and potentially seven points in a game San Francisco lost 22-17.
“It was just me having to communicate with the ref and with my teammate — the tight end or the other receiver on that side of the formation with me,” Pearsall said. “Both of those penalties are definitely on me. I’ve just got to clean those things up. There’s no excuse for that.”
Pearsall missed most of training camp with hamstring and shoulder injuries before missing six regular season games after getting shot in the chest in late August.
After the game, Deebo Samuel shared his thoughts on the rookie wideouts’ mistakes.
“It’s just mental errors. At the end of the day, it happens. It comes with the game,” Samuel said. “I’ve got all the respect in the world for Ricky and all the hard work he puts in. It’s just some simple things. I’ve been there before, too, in this offense with so much terminology and knowing what to listen to. And knowing what not to listen to. It just happens fast. It’s part of growing in this offense.”
Pearsall will look to build upon his career performance and clean up his mistakes when The 49ers host the Lions on Monday Night Football in Week 17.
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