San Francisco 49ers rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall is set to return to practice next week for the first time since he was shot in the chest in a robbery attempt nine days before the season opener.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said Friday that the Niners will open the practice window for Pearsall on Monday, when the team begins preparations for a Super Bowl rematch against Kansas City.

Pearsall can practice for three weeks before the 49ers would have to activate him from the non-football injury list. Shanahan had no timeline for when Pearsall will be ready to play in games.

• Wide receiver Malik Nabers, the NFL’s leader with 35 catches, remains in the concussion protocol and will miss his second consecutive game, Giants coach Brian Daboll said. The Giants play Sunday night against Cincinnati.

• Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer, who has missed the past two games because of personal reasons, was placed on the non-football illness list. That means Mayer must sit out at least the next four games, beginning Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Also, wide receiver Davante Adams — subject of numerous trade rumors — will miss his third game in a row because of a hamstring injury.

• The NFL and its players association said the required steps were followed when Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen was evaluated for a concussion last week at Houston and cleared to return to the game.

The league and the NFL Players Association said in a joint statement they reviewed reports from the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant and booth spotters and “those reports confirm that the steps required by the league’s concussion protocol were followed.” The statement added that the protocol was “jointly” put in place by the league and the association.

Allen left the game with roughly six minutes to play after his helmet slammed to the turf following an incomplete pass. He went into the medical tent for observation and returned in time for Buffalo’s next series. Allen’s final five passes fell incomplete.

Pat Woepse dies of rare cancer at 31

U.S. women’s water polo star Maddie Musselman Woepse is mourning the loss of her husband, Pat, who died Thursday night from a rare form of lung cancer. He was 31.

Pat Woepse was diagnosed with NUT carcinoma in September 2023. Woepse, a former water polo player himself, set a goal of going to the Paris Olympics to watch his wife play — and he made it.

In an Instagram post, Maddie, 26, called Pat “the light of my life and my person.”

“He was my first love and the best husband I could have ever asked for,” she wrote. “He opened my heart up to what love is and looks like and I will forever do my best to love as hard as Patrick loved from this day forward. He was a true blessing from God.”

Pat Woepse grew up in Southern California and played water polo at Mater Dei High and UCLA. He helped the Bruins win consecutive national championships in 2014 and 2015.

Jaeger’s top start good for Black Desert lead

Stephan Jaeger chipping in for birdie on consecutive holes for an 8-under 63 that gave him a one-shot lead before the second round was suspended by darkness at the inaugural Black Desert Championship.

Jaeger was at 14-under 128 — by three shots his lowest 36-hole score — and he still had six players within two shots of him at the Black Desert Resort in Ivins, Utah.

Adam Svensson followed his career-low 60 with a 69 and was one shot back along with Ben Kohles, who had a 64.

• Sei Young Kim of South Korea held on to her lead with a 2-under 70 in the second round of the Buick LPGA Shanghai tournament.

Kim has a two-round total of 12-under 132 after opening with 62 — her lowest round of the season — as she looks for her first victory in 2024.

Kim was one shot ahead of Lucy Li of the United States and Mao Saigo of Japan. Li shot a 4-under 68 and Saigo carded a 7-under 65.

Two of the LPGA’s top players — Nelly Korda and Lydia Ko — are not in the field this week in China. Both are entered next week in the BMW Ladies Championship in South Korea.

• Belgium’s Thomas Detry shot a second-round 63 to share the lead with England’s Dan Bradbury (66)and Jesper Svensson (68) at 9 under par midway through the Open de France outside Paris. Five players were one shot behind.

Shiffrin won’t race downhills this season

American ski star Mikaela Shiffrin won’t race downhills in the upcoming World Cup season in which she aims for her 100th career win.

The record holder since surpassing Swedish great Ingemar Stenmark’s tally of 86 World Cup wins in March 2023, Shiffrin stands at 97 and is close to the milestone that was long deemed unreachable.

Following the worst crash of her career in January, the two-time Olympic champion even considered not racing at all — but only briefly.

“Then you wake up the next morning and you go out on the slopes, and you think ‘I’m motivated, like, I want to be here,’” Shiffrin said.

In the aftermath of the downhill crash that kept her off the slopes for six weeks — and cost her a record-equaling sixth overall title she was favored to take — Shiffrin has decided to drop the sport’s fastest and most dangerous discipline from her schedule.

Djokovic, Fritz reach Shanghai semifinal

Novak Djokovic and Taylor Fritz advanced to a semifinal matchup at the Shanghai Masters.

Four-time champion Djokovic fought back to beat Czech player Jakub Mensik 6-7 (4), 6-1, 6-4 in the quarterfinals.

While Djokovic reached a 77th Masters semifinal, Fritz will play his fifth Masters semifinal after a 6-3, 6-4 victory over David Goffin.

In the other semifinal today, top-ranked Jannik Sinner will face Tomas Machac, who toppled second-ranked Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals.

Northwestern routs Maryland in Big Ten

Defensive end Aidan Hubbard returned a fumble for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, and Northwestern pulled away from host Maryland 37-10 for its first Big Ten win this season. Jack Lausch and Cam Porter rushed for first-half touchdowns for the Wildcats (3-3, 1-2), who won despite being outgained 355-283 in total yards. Billy Edwards Jr. rushed for a TD for Maryland (3-3, 0-3).