SANTA CLARA — Austen Pleasants was sitting on a stool at his locker, looking exhausted, and doing something unfamiliar.
An obscure, well-traveled offensive lineman was given a cell phone by a radio producer and conducted an interview on a nationally syndicated radio show.
That’s what happens when you step in for a future Hall of Fame left tackle after the first snap of the game and maintain a seemingly unattainable level of play.
“The standard is the standard,” Pleasants said in the raucous 49ers’ locker room Sunday night after a 42-38 win over the Chicago Bears. “Everybody’s done a great job setting that standard. Kyle (Shanahan), Brock (Purdy), George (Kittle), Trent (Williams). They built this during this standard.”
Williams, 37, strained a hamstring on the first play when Purdy had a deflected interception returned 35 yards for a touchdown by linebacker T.J. Edwards He limped off the field, was examined in the sideline blue tent and did not return.
Already without Kittle (ankle), Pleasants entered the game after playing 12 snaps in 15 games and went the final 71. He committed no penalties and had no huge mistakes, although there was one pass protection breakdown that forced Thomas Morstead’s second and final punt of the game.
“I think both run and pass, there are definitely things to improve, especially the consistency of my pass sets,” Pleasants said. “But I’m most proud of making the most of the opportunity, not letting the magnitude of the moment bother me.”
Depending on how Williams heals — coach Kyle Shanahan said it was the first hamstring issue in the 15-year career of his perennial All-Pro — Pleasants could be needed again when the 49ers (12-4) host the Seattle Seahawks (13-3) Saturday at 5 p.m. at Levi’s Stadium with the NFC No. 1 seed and home field advantage on the line.
“I mean, he tried to go and he couldn’t, so Trent told me he has never pulled a hamstring before, so not really sure how it will be,” Shanahan said.
Pleasants, 28, was an undrafted lineman from Ohio University who beginning in 2020 began an odyssey that saw him on the practice squads of Jacksonville, Carolina, the L.A. Chargers, Chicago and Arizona. When Pleasants came to the 49ers last December, he wasn’t sure if the whole NFL thing was going to work out.
“Right before I got here last year I wasn’t sure how it would go,” Pleasants said. “I’ve bounced around so much. But it kind of rejuvenated my excitement for football.”
Shanahan, who passed on his usual day-after conference call Monday because of a short week of preparation, said after the game Pleasants performed admirably.
“To have him play the whole game and for it not to be an issue?,” Shanahan said. “I mean, I only talked about him on one third down (play). My sense i that he played real good.”
Line coach/run game coordinator Chris Foerster said during training camp Pleasants, at 6-foot-6 and 330 pounds, had better footwork and movement skills than expected and believed he was more than just a practice squad candidate.
Pleasants stuck on the roster this season, although with Williams and right tackle Colton McKivitz not missing a game there wasn’t much need for a swing tackle, no matter how big and agile.
McKivitz said Pleasants typifies the strength of the 2025 49ers, where backups including quarterback Mac Jones, tight end Jake Tonges and others have picked up the slack when key players go down.
“The show goes on,” McKivitz said. “They’re not stopping the game just because Trent went out. We’re obviously not going to stop on offense. You have a hard journey in the NFL and when you finally get a chance in Week 17 in what is basically a playoff game, I couldn’t be happier for him.”
McKivitz knows of what he speaks. In 2021, the 49ers needed to beat the Los Angeles Rams to get a playoff spot. McKivitz, who had already been cut from the 49ers roster once, was elevated from the practice squad to replace Williams, out with an ankle injury, in a must-win game against a defense that included defense lineman Aaron Donald. The 49ers won 27-24, and McKivitz played well.
Now McKivitz is an established starter and owner of a three-year, $45 million contract extension. He looks at the personality of this year’s 49ers team as dramatically different than the 6-11 team that preceded it.
“I’ve got your back — that’s what this team is about,” McKivitz said. “That’s what this team is built on. We didn’t have that last year. We came in and redid everything, kind of reset the standard this summer, this spring. Guys have bought in, and when their number is called, they’re ready.”
SNAP JUDGEMENTS
A look at who played and how much in the 49ers’ win over the Chicago Bears:
72: Tackle Colton McKivitz, guards Dominick Puni and Spencer Burford, center Jake Brendel and Purdy played every offensive snap.
66: Middle linebacker Tatum Bethune, safety Ji’Ayir Brown, cornerback Deommodore Lenoir weakside linebacker Dee Winters and safety Malik Mustapha played every snap. Bethune led the 49ers with 11 tackles and had a tackle for loss and a pass defensed.
65: Jauan Jennings scored his eighth touchdown in the last eight games and played more snaps than he has in any game this season.
58: Ricky Pearsall Jr. was hurting — he limped off the field after one catch — and played his most snaps since Week 4.
50: With Kittle sidelined, Jake Tonges played his most snaps since Oct. 12 against Tampa Bay and caught seven passes for 60 yards and a touchdown.
41: Defensive end Sam Okuayinonu played the most of any of the defensive linemen.
25: Chase Lucas played extensively at nickel back after Upton Stout left with a concussion and had his most snaps since Oct. 19 against Atlanta.
24: Defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos, who has missed nine games due to injury, had a season-high 24 snaps and was the pass rusher in the face of Chicago quarterback Williams on an incomplete pass that was the game’s final play.
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