SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The San Francisco 49ers completed their cruise through the soft underbelly of their schedule Sunday with a 37-24 victory against the Tennessee Titans.
In a stretch against the Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns and Titans (a group with a combined record of 15-41), the Niners won all four by 10-plus points, tied for their second-longest streak since coach Kyle Shanahan took over in 2017.
If that stretch revealed anything about how the final postseason push might go, it's that the Niners are going to have to lean even more heavily into an offense that seems to be hitting its stride, but will face far more difficult tasks in the season's final three weeks against the Indianapolis Colts, Chicago Bears and Seattle Seahawks.
"We can always be better," tight end George Kittle said. "Nothing against the Titans, but they're not a playoff team ... We have hard games in front of us and our offense has to execute and score points."
In fact, the 49ers have been doing that for the past month. Since quarterback Brock Purdy returned from a right big toe injury in Week 11, the Niners are averaging 31 points per game, which ranks fourth in the NFL in that span going into the Sunday night game.
But if that offensive production is going to continue, the Niners will again have to navigate some complicating wide receiver factors. First, any lingering doubt about the status of wideout Brandon Aiyuk was put to rest on Saturday when the team placed him on the reserve/left the team list.
Aiyuk can't return this season which further drives home the likelihood that he has played his final snap in San Francisco. After Sunday's win against the Titans, Shanahan said he and the team haven't seen Aiyuk "in a month" and though the team has made his nonreturn official, nobody in the building has expected him back for some time. Shanahan added that Aiyuk hasn't communicated to him or anyone he talks to about why he has remained away.
And while Aiyuk's absence has been a constant this season, the Niners at least no longer have to answer questions or have it lingering over their head until the offseason arrives, when it's likely that Aiyuk and the Niners will head their separate ways.
"I wouldn't say that has for sure been decided," Shanahan said. "I literally haven't had to think about B.A. or had a reason to think about him in a long time. He is under contract next year. B.A.'s a guy we've had a relationship with for a while. We've always liked B.A. Everyone knows how good of a player he is. It's extremely unfortunate that it got to this point, but when this year is over, we'll see where we're at."
Of more pressing concern is the status of wideout Ricky Pearsall. After missing six games because of a PCL injury in his right knee, Pearsall returned the same week as Purdy. Pearsall's reacclimating took some time, at least in terms of production as he had just five receptions for 20 yards in his first three games back.
Even after injuring his ankle on the Niners' first play against the Titans, he returned and put up six catches for 96 yards before departing with a knee issue in the closing moments. Shanahan said the initial indication was that Pearsall "irritated" the PCL he hurt earlier in the season and he's set for more imaging on Monday to determine the severity. Without Aiyuk, Pearsall's presence takes on even more importance in an offense that prides itself on spreading the ball around.
Nick Wagoner looks ahead as the 49ers face 3 tough offenses to close out the regular season.
"I wouldn't say I'm super concerned," Pearsall said. "I don't really know what's going on with it, to be honest ... But it's probably the same s--- that I was dealing with before and that sucks but at least I know how to manage it now and go about it. And so that's all I could focus on right now is getting it ready for next week."
Pearsall and the Niners do benefit from an extra day until they visit the Colts in Week 16 on "Monday Night Football" (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN). Recovery time has proved plenty important for other receivers on the team, too, as Jauan Jennings has rounded into form down the stretch after a series of injuries (ribs, ankle, shoulder) limited him in the early part of the season.
Jennings has a touchdown catch in three straight games, the longest streak of his career and the longest by a Niner this season and is up to six touchdowns in his past six games. Ideally for the Niners, they would have a healthy Pearsall and Jennings available for the stretch run.
"Every time I get an opportunity, I'm going to try to make it," Jennings said. "That's what I'm doing, that's what I'm going to keep doing."
The 49ers need plenty more of that in the final stretch as not only do they face better defenses but much better offenses. Indianapolis (No. 4), Chicago (No. 7) and Seattle (No. 6) rank in the NFL's top seven in offensive points per game.
After a slow start, the Niners now sit 11th in the league at 24.6 points per contest. Given the injuries on defense and the issues that unit faced stopping the run in recent weeks, the Niners could find themselves in some high-scoring affairs down the stretch.
One more win would clinch a playoff spot for the 49ers but with a little help, the No. 1 seed in the NFC is still within reach. Whether the Niners can get there will hinge heavily on if the offense can keep lighting up the scoreboard regardless of opponent.
"With the guys we have out there on the field, that's our standard is to go out, move the ball, put up points no matter who we're playing," Purdy said. "We know that we're talented and we have guys across the board. ... For us, our mindset is that we need to score. I expect us to score, hopefully, every drive."