This will sting a little. Wide receiver Jauan Jennings will not be available when the San Francisco 49ers take on the Kansas City Chiefs.
He is dealing with a hip injury suffered in the 49ers’ Week 6 win over the Seattle Seahawks. Jennings missed all of practice this week, but head coach Kyle Shanahan emphasized that it was nothing too serious.
“I don’t think it’s a long-term thing. Hopefully he’ll be ready for next week. He was close this week, so hopefully I’ll be back at it next week,” Shanahan said.
Not having Jennings active is a huge loss. He was instrumental in the 49ers’ success against the Chiefs in the Super Bowl eight months ago. He will likely have the same impact he had in that match.
The loss of Jennings is tough but manageable. The 49ers still provide a tremendous offense even without Christian McCaffrey. The bright side is that wide receiver Ricky Pearsall will make his debut. He could end up closing the gap left by Jennings. It depends on his workload and how quickly he adapts to the game.
At the very least, he can inject a lot of energy into the attack. He did that this week in practice. The 49ers were ecstatic to have him back, which proved beneficial. His presence is like adding sticks to a flame. Pearsall provided a useful boost for the 49ers as they head into a rematch with the Chiefs.
Aside from Jennings, kickers Jake Moody (ankle) and Matthew Wright (shoulder) have been ruled out. Defensive tackle Kevin Givens (groin) and cornerback Darrell Luter Jr. (pelvis) are questionable. So, the 49ers enter Week 7 relatively healthy. That should give them a good chance of being the first team to hand the Chiefs their first defeat of the season.