The San Francisco 49ers moved to 2-0 in the preseason with a 17-7 defeat of the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on Saturday night.
Here is what stood out from the game.
Nate Sudfeld
Sudfeld was efficient against the Vikings, completing 13 of 17 passes for 102 yards and the game winning touchdown. He’s been a pleasant surprise behind Trey Lance.
Brock Purdy
Purdy followed up a strong performance late against Green Bay with another solid performance. The seventh-round draft pick completed 14 of 23 passes for 128 yards. Of his nine incompletions, three were dropped and one was a throw away to avoid a sack.
Ty Davis-Price
Davis-Price is supposed to be a physical back, but instead of hitting hole on fourth and one he bounced to the outside and was dropped for no gain.
In the second half, the rookie turned it around and started running downfield and found success. Davis-Price picked up 12 on an explosive run up the middle on the opening possession of the second half. He followed that up with a 14-yard burst to the right side which featured a stiff arm and broken tackles. We need to see more of that moving forward.
JaMycal Hasty
Hasty continued to run well between the tackles, picking up 15 yards on three inside runs. He also showed off his hands when he beat a Vikings linebacker on an option route for the 49ers lone touchdown of the game.
Jordan Mason
Mason has earned the opportunity to get carries earlier in games. The undrafted rookie free agent consistently attacks the line of scrimmage. He ran the ball 9 times for 57 yards with a long of 17.
Tanner Hudson
Hudson dropped the first pass that came his way but made up for it by catching each of the five targets that came his way for 43 yards.
Ross Dwelley
Dwelley had a pair of false starts in the first half but caught all three of his targets for 38 yards with a long of 16.
Danny Gray
Gray finished with two catches for 24 yards and caught a two-point conversion from Nate Sudfeld. The lone blemish on the night for Gray was a drop on an over route on a throw from Brock Purdy.
Jason Poe
The undrafted rookie free agent continues to impress. He shows the ability to consistently get push in the run game and crushes defenders when pulling.
Aaron Banks and Spencer Burford
Nate Sudfeld and Brock Purdy found themselves under duress throughout the first half. Fortunately for the 49ers none were the responsibility of Burford or Banks, the lone starters along the offensive line to play.
Charles Omenihu
It was an up and down game for Omenihu. He did a good job of splitting Vikings blockers to drop the running back for no gain early in the game. However, in the second quarter he could not maintain outside leverage leading to a long Vikings run around the right side.
Javon Kinlaw
Kinlaw came away with a sack in the first half when he beat the right guard inside and dropped Kellen Mond. Later he had good pressure again, and just missed coming away with a pass break up.
Drake Jackson
The rookie defensive lineman has been impressive in each of his first two preseason games. After getting knocked off balance, Jackson was able to get his hands up and break up a screen pass to the right side. He now has a pair of pass break ups.
Deommodore Lenoir
Lenoir struggled to cover deep during his rookie season. Tonight, he ran stride for stride with the Vikings receiver on a go route down the left sideline.
The second-year defensive back also played some snaps in the slot, doing a terrific job of sticking with the receiver on an in breaking route before coming away with a pass break up.
Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles
Did a good job of sniffing out a screen to the left side and dropping the running back after a gain of only one. Flannigan-Fowles would start for most NFL teams.
Kemoko Turay
Turay was able to get outside and get his hands on a pass to force an incompletion. Turay has been impressive against both the run and pass in each of the first two preseason games.
Jauan Jennings
It’s been a rough training camp for Jennings with several drops. Against the Vikings, Brock Purdy hit Jennings in the hands on an out route and the receiver could not hang on.
Justin Skule
Skule had been beaten repeatedly in pass protection this training camp. He allowed a sack of Trey Lance against Green Bay last week and did it again against Minnesota.
Jordan Mills
The veteran tackle made the start and didn’t look any better than Skule or Colton McKivitz. He won’t make the final roster.
Keaton Sutherland
The veteran started at center and was beaten repeatedly in pass protection. If he needs to play in the regular season the 49ers are in trouble.
Skule does not look like he belongs in the NFL.
I feel the money spent on Ward at Corner would have been better spent shoring up the O-line, because the starters (other than Williams) are not impressive either.
Jennings just might be one of those guys that needs pressure/big games to show his stuff. At least that’s what I hope is the case because he looks nothing like the clutch receiver we witnessed during critical moments last year.
I’m not super impressed with the running back room either but Kyle always finds a way to scheme production from the position.
You can’t be strong in every position group in the NFL under a salary cap, so the team overall is one of the strongest in the NFL. But the inattention to the o-line might bite them come end of season or playoffs time.
I think they have 3 young guards who are looking good so far and will only get better with playing time. Their only weakness might be at center.
We don’t have a right tackle either. I’m not buying that McGlinchey is ready to suit up. And even if he is, I’m not betting on a full season from the guy. And if he does somehow manage to stay healthy, he’s back closer to his Tight End weight than a Tackle and worried about him getting bulldozed constantly as he did a couple seasons ago.
Dam well you have been proven right already.
Mc Glinchey’s legs are too skinny for a tackle. Good for run blocking (moving fast and forward),
bad for pass pro (backing up and anchoring).
Seems like McGlinchey started going down hill after Joe Staley retired
Actually, it’s the money held in limbo for 6 months on Jimmy’s contract that is the O-Line improvement fund. That $25 million could have filled a number of positions. Charvarius Ward was a good investment that filled a need.
Here is where I am concerned about this team.
The run game!
First off DJ Jones was a huge loss and we won’t feel the full magnitude until the regular season unfolds. AA and Kinlaw is nice on paper but with Kinlaw down a decent amount of weight it’s easy to see a scenario where he is not the double team eating plug he was before. If this is the case, the trade off will be more sacks, not a bad thing. But we have also seen two big DT’s does not equate to elite run defense. Remember Buckner and AA showed weakness in the run game at times when they played together. AA already has a knee sprain and Kinlaw is on a repaired knee. Behind them, Givens is the best (in my opinion) but he is not DJ Jones. Ridgeway is just a rotational guy, that hasn’t really flashed in the 2 preseason games I have watched or really in his career at all.
There is so much talk about getting more turnovers and this secondary seems posed to to do so, but at what cost to the run game?
If teams are able to run and keep our offense on the side that could spell trouble as Lance has not shown signs he is capable of running an EFFICIENT office so far.
Take this with a grain of salt because it’s in very limited game/practice time, but Kinlaw has shown enough that the Vikings tried doubling him to keep him from wreaking havoc. He’s shown an ability to stand his man up and even push him backwards. I recall seeing him push two linemen backwards in one highlight.
The raw strength on this human is…. decidedly not human.
Regardless of body width and ability to take up space, I think Kinlaw is going to be a problem. The word “freak” gets thrown around but he genuinely looks like a comic book hero amongst grown men.
Now imagine if he puts back some of the weight he’s converted into raw muscle? His ceiling could be Aaron Donald-esque.
The only problem with Kinlaw should be his ability to avoid injury and, perhaps, he needs to show some maturity between the ears.
Other than that if this dude lives up to even half of his potential he’s going to be solid. If he gets 70% of the way there he’s going to make people forget about the Buckner trade.
I wasn’t too impressed with him from draft day through the opening of training camp for various reasons but he seems to be working quite hard to meet his potential and the physical manifestations are certainly impossible to ignore. Comically, he’s been walking around the practice field with his shirt off; but if you look like that you have the right to strut your stuff!
I definitely agree on DJ Jones, however. The man has been wholly underrated on this team for years. Hopefully Kocurek has another diamond in the rough up his sleeve.
Kalia Davis?
Or perhaps Kemoko Turay.
Yes, Governor, Turay will probably light it up. I was thinking you were referring to the middle.
You’re right! I forgot what position I was talking about the other day. :)
Lance Zierlein on Kalia Davis:
https://www.nfl.com/prospects/kalia-davis/32004441-5649-9582-57b7-60e9bb6e636d
Agree that the running game does not look good. Perhaps the return of Wilson and Mitchel will give a different look. Sermon has been a real disappointment nad Price is inconsistent. Mason needs to start and to be ready to go the first game.
I disagree about Mason. He is the 5th or 6th string RB for a reason right now. He looks solid but I am not sure he has the juice to be a starter or even a #2 RB.
Allie,
You’re forgetting Hasty. He has looked outstanding running behind the same terrible line that both Sermon and Price have failed behind. Have you noticed that Price in both preseason games has looked much better in the 2nd half? I believe that is because the 2nd and 3rd string linemen open more holes ( Poe may be a big part of that) I think the RB’s are good to very good. I think the depth chart will look something like this.
#1 Mitchell
#2 Wilson
#3 Hasty
#4 Mason
P.S. Price
and working as a clerk at Safeway Sermon
My one and oly concern with this team is the O line. imho
allie
If the 9ers O-Line can’t create running lanes for the RB’s, none of them are going to look good!
Hopefully, KS will play Mason the first half against the Seahags. And I’d also like to see OG Poe and Purdy play the first half.
I was disappointed with Davis-Price’ running in the 1st half. He was hesitant and indecisive. TDP is blessed with size and speed, but those gifts are nullified when he hesitates and dances behind the LOS. The fact that Hasty was hitting the gaps harder than the larger Price was not a good sign.
Price ran a little better in the 2nd half for a small piece of redemption.
Mason on the other hand, seems to be more of a natural instinctive no non-sense runner that hits the gaps with force (ala Frank Gore). I would like to see Mason receive the bulk of the carries against Houston, but I believe that Shanahan will give TDP the opportunity to validate his draft status. At this point, I believe that Mason is ahead of Price, but we will have to wait to see how it shakes out in the next couple of weeks.
Drake Jackson is intriguing. Who is he stealing snaps from? Ebukam?
Pat,
I think they will suit 8 D linemen with maybe 1 or 2 more on the 53 man roster and they will rotate all 8. It wouldn’t surprise me if Bosa doesn’t Avg. 8 to 10 less plays per game. How dangerous would a well rested Bosa in the 4th quarter be.
Giving Bosa rest sounds great to me. Also need a competent opposite DE to open up the rest of the Defense. Rushing 4 and still being able to get to the QB is the most important characteristics of great defenses in my opinion. If the Ebukam/Jackson combo can just be 75% of what Dee Ford was in at his best in 2019 I think this years defense can be special. Some other things need to fall into place in the secondary but there’s a chance.
1.6
Ebukam is, as of now, the starting LDE and Jackson is rotating in as his relief. So Jackson’s reps are coming at the expense of Hyder, who is behind both Ebukam and Jackson.
NOTE: The order could change, depending on their performance over the first 2-3 games of the regular season.
And least we forget, Turay is still getting used to DC DeMeco Ryans system.
Also. with a salary over $8.2 Mil., Ebulkam could be traded, if he doesn’t earn that salary and the 9ers need cap space to sign a free agent. (I’m thinking Center JC Treater, for Jake Brendel)?
You know I really hadn’t thought about that. 49ers are super deep at d-line but have huge questions on O-line. Makes sense to upgrade one position group with only sacrificing depth at another position group.
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Jack….
Thank you for the great wrap-up….you ‘d best watch your back…it sounds like half the blog want your job….Please remind them……W’s 2—-L’s 0….’nuff said…
Oregon, Do you think we can win the preseason Super Bowl?
I dunno… Harbaugh and the Ravens win the pre-season Super Bowl every year. 😂
Jack
YOUR OPINION PLEASE:
1) Will rookie RB, Mason’s pass blocking keep him from making the 53? Other than his pass blocking, IMO, I believe he’s more capable than Sermon. And If the 9ers try to pass him thru waivers, to put him on the PS, he’ll be signed by another NFL team.
2) Will OG Poe make the 53 squad, or be signed to the PS?
Bad practice day for trey. Is Purdy warming up to replace him? Purdy may be the better prospect. Trey does not have that impressive of a background in no-name ND State. He played too few games in the sticks. Purdy is arrows up.
allie
After giving up three firsts and a 3rd round draft pick for Trey, the only way he’s not the starting QB is if Denise York fires both KS and JL!
Lance has already been given the keys and at this point Shanahan will decide who is the backup. My guess is that the backup will be Sudfeld.
Nate is more familiar with the offense and has also done well in TC. I would like to see Shanahan go with 3 QBs on the 53 man roster, but Purdy will likely be on the PS.
Fortunately for the 49ers, we will arguably roll-out the best defense in the NFL in 2022. Our defense has the potential to win games this season as well as keeping the 49ers well within striking distance in close games. Trey could be the greatest beneficiary of our strong defense to the extent that he doesn’t need to be lights-out in every game.
Good times ahead.
“Bad practice day for trey. Is Purdy warming up to replace him? ”
Complete absurdity and nonsense but I am not surprised.
Man, I miss the olden days when we have many good and knowledgeable contributors here… now, you just have to laugh off on these nonsense!
Let me tell you guys a little something about BROCK PURDY, a.k.a. Mr. Irrelevant:
He was a four-year starter from Iowa state, and he arrives in Santa Clara with bonafide college accolades. Over his prolific college career, Brock Purdy threw for over 12,000 yds and 81 TD’s, while adding an additional 1,177 yds rushing, and 19 TD’s on the ground. But there’s more to Brock Purdy than his prolific short-to-intermediate passing and tremendous mobility, because Brock is also known to be a true leader inside the locker room!
“…. we’re excited. He started a ton of games at Iowa State, really helped influence a culture change there, and he played a lot of good football for them” – John Lynch
Brock Purdy may not have prototypical size, but he does posses a couple elite qualities. His 10-yard-split is among the very best in the NFL, which means he’s much, much quicker than than the average pro quarterback. He made very good use of his short-area quickness in college, as he showed a consistent ability to evade free rushers, and find ways to slip out of seemingly impossible situations. As a “rhythm passer”, Brock shows elite anticipation and amazing touch on short-to intermediate routes, something Jimmy Garoppolo made a living at during his tenure under Kyle Shanahan.. And while there is no question about his efficiency from the pocket, he’s also dangerous on the run!
“…. the Niners drafted Purdy for his ability to execute between the tackles, where he demonstrates both solid mechanics, and tremendous accuracy, often targeting a cadre of tight ends and H-back”
Brock Purdy may never develop into a franchise QB, but given his character and leadership qualities, as well as his history of making highlight-caliber plays, Purdy has the ability to grow into the type of backup quarterback NFL teams hate to face!
I liked Purdy in college. At one point I suggested that the 49ers take a look at him after his jr year, but Brock decided to stay for his senior year. I’m happy that we drafted him and hope that he makes the roster.
I wasn’t too excited about his 33 Int’s over his college career which averages out to 8 Int’s per year. When you consider a 12 game schedule in college football that is a significant number.
His last game in the Cheez-it Bowl against Clemson was to put it mildly, a rough outing.
So, while his college career numbers were good, there is also a reason why he was the last player chosen in the draft. In fact, the 49ers FO had mentioned that they were viewing Purdy as their first UDFA pickup. Not, a rousing endorsement.
So where does Brock Purdy stand as a 49ers QB? Could he be the next Nick Mullens (who broke Bret Favre’ college records), Chase Daniel, Geno Smith or Josh McCowen who make up jouneyman QBs with longevity in the league?
TBD
OldCoach – Cards released Hokit…
UC,
Thanks for the news. If no one else picks him up I don’t see the 9ers putting him on their P.S. they can just give him a call if something happens to Juice.
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