Ricky Pearsall cleared to play for 49ers, Jauan Jennings out

“Shanahan said previously that he expected a longer ramp-up for Pearsall, who also missed big chunks of training camp with hamstring and left shoulder issues, but the coach also said he didn’t want to make any judgments until he saw Pearsall practice.

“I just wanted to see him [practice],” Shanahan said. “We hadn’t seen him out there in a while going with the team. Wednesday, he looked great, Thursday, he was even better and today he was even more comfortable. It made the decision pretty easy.”

The final hurdle before Pearsall could practice was regaining full range of motion in his right shoulder, something that happened just last week.”

Hutchinson: Why 49ers-Chiefs is a massive test of polar opposites

“These two trenches are built as near polar opposites. Kansas City has the best interior offensive line in the business in Joe Thuney, Creed Humphrey (who was selected after Aaron Banks) and Trey Smith. Their tackles, in Wanya Morris on the left, and Jawaan Taylor on the right, are bad. Holding gets called much more in the regular season, but we’ll see what they get away with.

Kansas City is also built with beef on the interior of their defensive line. It’s Chris Jones followed by some monumental forces in Tershawn Wharton and Mike Pennel. Their edges, led by George Karlaftis, are all hefty, too…….I asked Trent Williams about Spagnuolo’s blitzes and he said that he tends to send pressure away from Chris Jones because he knows that teams typically plan to double-team Jones. That means free rushers, folks. It’s been a problem for the 49ers in almost every game this season.

“He definitely mixes it up,” Williams said. “He loves to go to zero [blitzes] especially at big times of the game, gotta-have-it situations, third-and-long, fourth-and-long, you can expect him to heat you up. He does a lot of blitzes away from 95 (Chris Jones) because he understands that most gameplans are to put two people on him, so it kind of leaves you shorthanded on the backside. He mixes it up. He’s one of the best defensive coaches in the NFL.”

This all means the 49ers need to have “hot” answers. Who is Brock Purdy’s “now” throw when there’s unabated pressure coming? They have been pretty underwhelming in this regard, this season.

I asked Purdy about facing Brian Flores’ Vikings defense — a defense that isn’t really comparable to any other, given how they mix up coverages from three-down fronts to sending seven without notice — given that he’ll need to have hot answers consistently. He stressed a need to know each answer and be simple.”

49ers-Chiefs Injuries: Ricky Pearsall to debut

“Jennings, who suffered a hip injury, did not practice this week. Shanahan said his injury was not a factor in Pearsall being activated.”

49ers vs. Chiefs: The Standard’s 5 fast predictions

“The Chiefs don’t have cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, who’s now with the Tennessee Titans. That’s a big loss for a team that was able to neutralize the 49ers primarily with man-to-man coverage in the Super Bowl. Purdy’s targets should be operating with more space in this game, which can lead to an efficient afternoon.”

Chiefs-49ers Super Bowl rematch: What’s changed, biggest surprises, X-factors (paywall)

“In his third season, Chenal is the Chiefs’ most versatile and underrated player on defense. In 145 defensive snaps this season, Chenal has played five positions — both off-ball linebacker spots, defensive end, defensive tackle and slot cornerback.

By most advanced metrics, Chenal’s performance has been significant to the Chiefs’ defensive success. He is one of the highest-graded Chiefs players, earning a 78.7 overall, according to Pro Football Focus, including the team’s highest grade on run defense (80.2). He has generated seven stops and allowed just 17 receiving yards when in coverage as the nearest defender, according to PFF. He has also missed only one tackle and has not committed a penalty. When Chenal has been on the field, the Chiefs have had a successful snap, by expected points added, 55 percent of the time, according to TruMedia.

In Sunday’s game, Chenal is expected to be matched up against a tight end to limit the 49ers’ ability to run the ball, particularly on the perimeter. Chenal could also line up as a defensive tackle to allow Jones to pass rush from the edge.”

Kyle Shanahan shares final updates ahead of 49ers-Chiefs Week 7 matchup

“San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke with reporters after Friday’s practice as the team prepares for its Week 7 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. Here’s everything he said.”