The 49ers are entering yet another week without their starting quarterback and top receiver -- but are welcoming back a very important offensive weapon.
Quarterback Brock Purdy (toe) and wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (knee) will not play in San Francisco's Week 7 game against the Atlanta Falcons, head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters Friday. Tight end George Kittle, however, will play without any restrictions.
Kittle has not played since Week 1 due to a hamstring injury suffered in San Francisco's win over the Seattle Seahawks. He landed on injured reserve shortly after suffering the injury, but is now ready to return at full strength.
"No pitch count," Shanahan said of Kittle's anticipated workload Sunday night. "George has rehabbed really well, came back 100 percent, had a good week of practice. We'll space it out throughout the game, but no pitch count."
Purdy, meanwhile, has already attempted to return from his toe injury once but aggravated it in San Francisco's Week 4 loss to Jacksonville, forcing backup Mac Jones back into action in Weeks 5 and 6. Jones will start in place of Purdy again on Sunday Night Football and throw to a corps that hasn't included Pearsall since the loss to the Jaguars.
This could be Purdy's last week out of action. He participated in every practice during the week and appears to be trending in the right direction.
"He was able to get out there, throw more," Shanahan said of Purdy on Friday. "Thought it was definitely a step further ahead than it was last week, so going in the right direction."
The 49ers have managed to weather the many injuries affecting key players quite well over the first six weeks, posting a 4-2 record that included an upset win over the Rams and a narrow victory over the Cardinals. They'll hope to squeeze another triumph out of Jones' latest start in front of a national audience Sunday night in Santa Clara.
