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.