Two touchdowns from a pair of first-year players
Any preseason game is successful if you can get out of dodge without serious injuries. That didn’t appear to be the case for the San Francisco 49ers after defenders Yetur Gross-Matos and Leonard Floyd left the game early with separate knee injuries.
Floyd was down on the field for a considerable time while Gross-Matos was inside the blue medical tent. Neither player returned for the game, but Floyd returned to the sideline and appeared to be OK after a slow walk to the locker room under his own power. The same is true for Gross-Matos.
The Niners will need both at full strength in a few weeks, so there was no reason to risk further injury and put them back into the game. The starters were pulled on both sides of the ball after.
Brock Purdy was pulled after a tackle attempt— yes, you read that correctly. Purdy threw an interception and lunged after a defender. That’s the competitor in him, but you know Kyle Shanahan was holding his breath.
Purdy had an excellent outing, going 9-for-12 with a few explosive plays and had a 14-yard scramble for a first down. The interception wasn’t his fault. Purdy gave Deebo Samuel an opportunity, but it was a contested catch, and the cornerback made a play. Speaking of opportunities, Purdy threw a perfectly placed back-shoulder fade to Samuel on the first play from scrimmage for 27 yards. He also threw a layered pass over the middle to George Kittle for a first down.
Jordan Mason ran well. He had 42 yards on eight carries and a short touchdown run. The story offensively was the rookies.
Dominick Puni continued his stellar August, as he did not get beaten and had some strong blocking. Jacob Cowing, who appears to be the starting punt returner, caught a touchdown. In his preseason debut, Isaac Guerendo had an electric kick return for a touchdown.
The second and third-stringers looked exactly like that. Samuel Womack was fortunate not to be called for multiple pass interference penalties. He was in a position to make a play on a pass. The wideout made a difficult catch, but it looked as though Womack forgot to keep playing. He stopped, and the Raiders scored.
Renardo Green, who is battling to start at nickel, gave up a touchdown in the end zone on a scramble drill before the end of the first half. Of all people, Nathan Peterman led a touchdown drive to end the second quarter. Nick Sorensen won’t be too happy with that.
What he will love to see is Darrell Luter Jr. making an interception in the end zone on 4th & goal. That’s how you earn a roster spot.
The battle at QB2 won’t be an easy decision. Brandon Allen went 5-for-7 for 60 yards, and I’m not sure you can pin either sack on him. Josh Dobbs was 8-for-10 with a touchdown, including a dot to Cowing.
Cut-down day is right around the corner, but it’s unclear whether anybody in an actual positional battle did enough to separate themselves. We’ll find out soon enough.
The preseason is over. The next game the 49ers play will mean something.