The San Francisco 49ers wrapped up their 2023 preseason slate with a 23-12 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
Here are five things that stood out.
Brock Purdy
The 49ers starting quarterback was crisp, hitting five of nine attempts and scoring on a five yard scramble. On the first possession he hit Jordan Mason for a gain of 13 and Brandon Aiyuk for a gain of 35 to move the chains on third down.
Purdy played three series this preseason, leading the offense deep into the redzone on each. He looks ready to pick up where he left off last season when the 49ers won eight straight before his injury in the NFC championship game.
Backup quarterbacks
The 49ers Sam Darnold as the backup quarterback Wednesday and traded Trey Lance to the Dallas Cowboys prior to the game. According to Kyle Shanahan, Lance had requested a trade following receiving the news.
Darnold and Brandon Allen combined to go 8-17 for 112 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
If something happens to Brock Purdy the 49ers are in trouble. Their quarterback room is worse this year than it was in 2022.
Run Defense
San Francisco’s run defense has struggled throughout the preseason. On the second play of the Chargers second possession, Joshua Kelly ran untouched straight through the heart of the 49ers defense for a 75-yard touchdown.
Making this more concerning is the 49ers were facing the Chargers backup offensive line. Still, Javon Kinlaw and Kevin Givens were blown off the ball time and time again. When they were replaced by T.Y. McGill and Kalia Davis that changed, and the linebackers were finally able to run and make plays.
Drake Jackson
The 49ers used a second-round pick on Jackson last year. He made his preseason debut tonight after missing the first two games. Playing against the Chargers backup offensive line he struggled to generate a pass rush. The lack of a pass rush helped Jackson when he batted a pass into the air and nearly came away with an interception. Although the play will make some highlight reels it wasn’t as good as it might seem.
An argument can be made that Austin Bryant is a better player at defensive end right now than Jackson. The veteran has been able to generate a consistent pass rush and set the edge in the run game.
Isaiah Oliver
San Francisco gave Oliver $2.91 million guaranteed during free agency to replace Jimmy Ward at nickelback.
After a strong start to the offseason, the veteran has fallen off. As a result, he played until the end of the game. Steve Wilks has also begun sliding Deommodore Lenoir inside in passing situations and bringing Ambry Thomas in to play outside.
In tonight’s game Oliver failed to set the edge on a run to the left side leading to a 20-yard run by Chargers quarterback Max Duggan down to the 49ers 11. A few plays later, Oliver slowed up instead of attacking Duggan who had rolled out of the pocket. This allowed Duggan to hit tight end Hunter Kampmoyer for a three-yard touchdown.
Jack,
I think Darnold played well tonight if it wasn’t for a couple of offensive holding penalties and a offensive interference as well as 1 dropped pass he likely would have led the team to two TDs in 3 possessions. I don’t think Darnold is top 32 but as 2nd string QBs go I think he is top 10. As to Kinlaw I think his play versus the run has been weak but his pass rush looks very good. He has been outstanding at collapsing the pocket. I think he will be very effective in a pass rush rotation. Oliver at this point looks pretty bad. I wonder what his film with the falcons looks like. I would like to see them throw Jamison out there at nickle with the 1st team. I think he could be great.
Agree with OC. Darnold looked solid and could get better as the season goes on. Allen did not but has had little time for reps. I am not one who thinks the Niners failed Trey. He failed the Niners and had every chance to stay as a third and battle back to number 2 and maybe, if Purdy is hurt, a number one. Steve Young has an excellent mind for QBs and YouTube has some great interviews with him and insights about why Trey never really improved much.
“If something happens to Brock Purdy the 49ers are in trouble. Their quarterback room is worse this year than it was in 2022.”
Really?
Last year the qb room with JG and BP was an anomaly. The 3rd string went in and had very unusual success. It’s not normal.
The Qb room this year has a former starter too and a seasoned back up player unlike BP. This room is most likely going to get tested, we still have a above average QB room, I’m not saying its the best room in the NFL but good enough. I think we will be ok.
The Defense may be what’s in trouble if Bosa does not get back soon..we will have to see
Thanks, Jack.
What I saw from Darnold tonight was flashes of potential followed by flashes of inconsistency. In other words, what I’ve seen from him throughout his career.
If Purdy goes down, and Darnold plays like he did tonight, the 49ers team and Shanahan along with Lynch will feel some serious heat.
I thought that Kinlaw played well on passing downs, but he should not be getting pushed around on running plays given his size.
TDP was hitting the seams well and looks like a totally different player this year.
Both place kickers being injured is not good, but Moody should be good to go for the opening game.
Jack, based on your personal analysis of the players you’ve seen over the last month, which players do you think will make the roster?
If Purdy goes down for significant time this team is screwed. But that’s not saying much as it’s true for every other team in the NFL.
Darnold throws the ball nicely but makes a lot of bad decisions and isn’t accurate enough to try and fit the ball in the windows he often tries to in late in the down situations.
Purdy looked good but the offense still struggles with drops and penalties These are like mini turnovers, as they kill drives just the same. While Purdy has shown the ability to overcome these gaffs, Darnold has not.
He certainly was accurate enough to “fit the ball in the windows” with Snead on that TD pass, didn’t he?
Okay…Now you’re being ridiculous and unfair. Do you want Sam to start throwing INTs? Brock isn’t exactly immune to INTs himself, Shoup.
“He certainly was accurate enough to “fit the ball in the windows” with Snead on that TD pass, didn’t he?”
Accuracy is about consistency. EVERY qb in the league can make these type of throws… they wouldn’t be in the NFL if they couldn’t.”
And yes, Brock has thrown some int’s and puts the ball in harms way more than we would like but so far he hasn’t done so nearly as much as Sam Darnold has see into to td ratio
Accuracy is about being ACCURATE.
And if EVERY qb in the league can make these types of throws, then Zach Wilson doesn’t belong in the league. LOL
Last I checked, Sam had far less INTs in TC than Brock and only 1 more INT (1) than him in Preseason.
I go by what Sam has done as a Niner. Not what he had done on other teams.
The fact that you just glossed over Sam like that is pathetic, Jack.
Sam was 6 of 11 for 89 yards and a TD…with ZERO PICKS.
This was a SOLID night for Sam considering he’s THE BACKUP, NOT THE STARTER.
Oh and if he was the Starter and played with the Starters, he would’ve scored MORE POINTS by far but it’s kind of hard to do so when you’re surrounded by players who are bound for the Practice Squad than the 53-man roster.
And to the others here (aside from OldCoach who knows the deal) :
If Sam had to come in and play with the STARTERS, he’d have a plethora of offensive firepower the likes of which he NEVER HAD in both NY and CAR stops COMBINED.
It would be VERY DIFFICULT (maybe even impossible) for Sam to play poorly with the Starters.
You and other sky-is-falling fans need to chill the F out and know that if Brock goes down, the season is FAR from over ’cause Sam is still a capable QB.
Now…Onto Pittsburgh!
This is hilarious. When Trey played with the 2s & 3s last week against the Broncos putting together 2 good drives to win the game people said well it was against the 2s & 3s it doesn’t matter but we all knew he was competing for backup job not QB1. Trey never got to play with the 1s since CMC was added to the team. Image that! But now we will never know.
2 and 3’s?
It was against 4th-stringers, my guy.
Men that will be working at a Fast-Food joint near you.
Congrats to Lance. He proved he was better than people off the street in that game. Kudos. /s
Agree…and god forbid Purdy gets hurt, but it aint like Lance would have been able to step right in and the team not miss a beat…the coaches are better equipped to judge talent than any of us
Facts…..
The 49ers had a QB named Steve DeBerg who preceeded Joe Montana. DeBerg would put up good QB numbers on most Sundays. He just couldn’t get the 49ers over the hump, when it came to winning.
This has been the pattern shown by Darnold in his 4 yrs. My only hope is (if Purdy is injured) that the talk of excusing Sam’s poor performances due to playing on lousy teams has merit now that Brock is one injury away from Darnold taking the helm.
AES,
Do you think Lance had shown he was the better option?
Coach,
I’ve said from the beginning that if Lance and Darnold finished in a close competition, that Shanahan would go with Darnold because of his NFL experience.
So, I was not surprised by the outcome.
Had the 49ers kept Trey as their QB3 it would not have been fair to him. With both Purdy and Sam being young, Lance likely would be on the bench for a while.
With the C’boys, Lance will still be the QB3, but with Cooper being 30 yrs old, Trey may have a better chance at the QB2 next season than he would have with the 49ers.
Well that’s the situation, isn’t it?
Sam has never been on a team that had THIS MUCH FIREPOWER on it.
Plus never on a team that had an actual functional AND EFFECTIVE O-LINE like he does here.
If he gets a shot (if god forbid something happens to Brock), we will finally get the answers to the questions we are seeking :
Was it NY or was Sam himself that ruined Sam?
I am confident that if he ever starts with the 1st team, the FORMER would’ve been proven 1000% accurate.
Oh yeah…forgot to ask :
HOW MANY DROPS DID SAM’S WIDE RECEIVER’S HAVE, JACK????
Here’s the answer : THREE.
Meaning if they had caught the ball, Sam would’ve finished the night 9-11 for more than likely over 100 yards and a TD.
Sam played OK. He had two passed dropped, sailed one and maybe should have run on another. I couldn’t tell how many starters were on the field for the Chargers on defense but there weren’t too many receivers wide open like the end of the Denver game. He’s drives stalled with holding calls, a few dropped passes, and a questionable offensive pass interference. He didn’t wow anyone for sure but it’s fair to consider he’s been with this team, coaches, and system for about a month. Lance and Purdy (especially Lance) have been here year(s). Plus he’s only shared reps with Trey Lance and Allen behind Purdy. People comment on him like he’s suppose to get up to speed in a week or something.
He’ s 26 years old and he’s probably had one of the roughest roads any young QB had. He was the youngest starter in NFL history. He played with some of the worst or near worst rated o-lines , few offensive weapons, horrible defenses that forced him to always play from behind and to top it off, some of the most inept coaches in the NFL. 5 different coaches, maybe 6 different offensive coordinators . . how many young QB’s survive that.
He’ll do fine here, wait and see.
Think about that. NONE of that was his fault. Had there been no holding calls, no dropped passes, and that PI was never called? Sam would’ve scored more than just 7 points that game.
Which is why I’ve been beating the drum that Sam on the 1st team will throw a TON of TOUCHDOWN PASSES with Zero INTs.
The Former because of the firepower he will have and the latter because last season he started taking good care of the Football.
You darnold fan girls are pathetic.
You Trey fanboys are embarassing.
Go root for the Cowboys, Lou.
….
I will give credit where credit is due. The starting Oline played pretty well in this game. Very happy to see the improvement this week.
On another note, the 49ers defense looks bad right now. I think you hit the nail on the head. The DTs were getting blown off the ball. DTs are getting pushed 4 and 5 yards down field and the LBs are not managing their run fits properly. On the 75 yard run, I have no idea what the LBs are thinking. 2 Chargers olineman block 3 49er defenders because the LBs basically ran themselves into the traffic. Thats just bad coaching. I guess most people don’t see it yet but they will pretty soon. Steve Wilks is a bad coach. Multiple times this preseason already Wilks has called blitzes that resulted in big plays for the offense. I just can’t see Shanahan putting up with bad coaching for too long.
No question Wilks has been a disappointment. He seems fairly lifeless and stoic, but his schemes are the worst part. We desperately need Bosa back and we need a huge run-stopper.
Give the guy a break. It’s preseason- at least give him a few games to see what his scheme really is, since, you know, this is preseason and no one is really scheming yet.
I do have to hand it to you though- you saw something in Purdy a year ago before anyone else did, probably including Shanahan. Kudos. :)
Female intuition. Thanks. :)
Female intuition. :)
Jack,
you speak the truth! So refreshing, I laughed.
There are 31 other teams. Bye 👋
The varsity offense was a pleasure to watch. The varsity defense was not, with many mistakes. Meanwhile the junior varsity—both offense and defense—lack crispness and cohesion. Once all those JVs are cut there is lots of work to do for the season opener. Looks like run defense is top priority.
Trey may have been a bust, but Kinlaw needs to go. He has never improved. Can we save any cap space? We need some late summer trades to shore up a horrific run defense.
Kinlaw’s rookie contract is fully guaranteed. So that includes both the signing bonus and his salary.
If they cut Kinalw, they’d eat about a total of about $5M in cap space.
If they trade him they’d eat about $2.2M (signing bonus) of salary cap but save on $2.7M of salary.
So the question is if anyone wants Kinlaw for $2.7M?
Btw. Interesting to note that both Lance and Kinlaw were primarily drafted for their raw athletic ability.
He’s gone after this year anyway. Tells you all you need to know when the team doesn’t pick up your 5th year option and goes out and spends a ton on your replacement instead.
I wouldn’t call him a bust, because he is still in the NFL. Plus, a player with only 4 games under his belt does not qualify as a bust (imho).
Lance was a victim of hard luck. Playing during the height of Covid, with home games played in Arizona.
Then being injured, which further slowed his development.
And, losing his QB1 status to the biggest surprise player in 2022, Brock Purdy.
These events don’t make him a bust, it’s more like being hit by the perfect storm.
With Zak Prescott unable to get the C’boys over the top, and Cooper being 30 YO, Lance may get a better chance to play.
It looked like Darnold was forcing the ball to receivers at times that were tightly covered. On the other hand it appeared that on some plays there were no good receiving options for Darnold to pass to. I can’t tell definitively because I’m not watching coaches tape. Maybe it was the plays called (the defense was just dialed into those plays/routes) or maybe it was simply the receivers being beaten by their defenders in converge. Or maybe Darnold just didn’t make the right read or time the passes with the routes of the receivers correctly. I’d be curious to know what happened.
The entire 2nd string run defense just stunk! Yes the DTs were being driven not just back but out of their gaps or they couldn’t get off of blocks. When you play a single gap defensive scheme; you still have to read plays to play the correct run defense technique…how or if to squeeze a gap, shoot a gap, step down against reach blocks but keep your shoulders and arms free for cut backs. It takes discipline, not just charging forward without a clue….which is something Kinlaw has done since he was drafted….it’s why he gets washed out of his gap so frequently. At linebacker, McCrary-Ball had a horrible game. He was out of position and blocked on many run plays. The DBs’ pursuit angles for run containment were horrible as well.
The Chargers kept making these short and intermediate comeback receptions on the 49er’s DBs. The DBs were play way off their receivers. The were play so far off, I couldn’t tell (from a brief glance) if they were playing off man or deep zone coverage. If it’s zone, I hope it’s not simple guarding grass….but I suspect there’s some pattern matching going on…..or maybe it was Catch Man coverage….either way I’d hope in a real game some adjustment would be made to tighten up the coverage. I don’t know if the DBs couldn’t read the receivers’ routes……the Charger’s receivers started with a vertical stem but then would sharply cut back….so the DBs read the vertical stem and stayed deep but then didn’t read something about the receiver’s routes that indicated a cut back….I dunno…I hope some adjustments are made in real games.
I’m ready for the season to start and maybe we can put the Lance issue behind us at some point. I was all for drafting Lance because of the perceived upside, but in hindsight, it was a very risky move. Out of high school no big league teams were interested in him at QB. He only played 1 year of college ball and the competition was obviously very inferior. Lance would have been much better off to have stayed in college and preferably transfered to a big time school. The injuries really delayed his development but in reality I think Kyle also realized he was going to be more of a project than originally anticipated. His first 2 preseasons were not good. He was improved this season but not enough to make Kyle think there was a reason to keep him. I think it’s going to be tough for Lance to become a starter in this league but I wish him the best.
I’m ready for the season to start and maybe we can put the Lance issue behind us at some point. I was all for drafting Lance because of the perceived upside, but in hindsight, it was a very risky move. Out of high school no big college teams were interested in him at QB. He only played 1 year of college ball and the competition was obviously very inferior. Lance would have been much better off to have stayed in college and preferably transfered to a big time school. The injuries really delayed his development but in reality I think Kyle also realized he was going to be more of a project than originally anticipated. His first 2 preseasons were not good. He was improved this season but not enough to make Kyle think there was a reason to keep him. I think it’s going to be tough for Lance to become a starter in this league but I wish him the best.
Well part of the TE decision is being made for the team. C. Latu needs knee surgery. Its a meniscus so he should be fully healthy for next years off season. I think he needs a redshirt year and will be good next year.
Combining Darnold and Allen stats was just wrong. Sam had a 111 qb rating and an amazing td pass. He also had a first down called back on penalties, not to mention dropped passes. He was not the one struggling. After leading USC to win the Rose Bowl, and breaking a passing record, he was placed on two awful nfl teams, I wish the 49ers fans would give him the break he deserves. He appreciates finally playing for a decent team and if anything happens to Purdy, they will be lucky to have him.
Yes, Jack fumbled the ball by combining Allen’s stats with Darnold’s. It made Jack look like a Trey partisan. Something Cohn might do.
Holy crap! I didn’t realize what Jack did.
That absolute clown.
Agree with Ingle: combining the stats of Allen and Darnold was weak. It made Jack look like a Cohn partisan which I think is a little unusual for Jack.
It’s not unusual anymore.
Ever since it became apparent that Trey was going to lose the competition to Sam, Jack started drinking the Trey Lance Kool-aid that Cohn likes to drink and all of a sudden he’s saying absurd things like :
Sam Darnold did NOT beat Trey Lance in the competition.
That’s when I knew he was no longer impartial.
So Tues. is cut down day. Any predictions about whether the 9ers will pickup or trade for any players. I could see them picking up or trading for an OT or a big run stuffing DT. I would guess a DT is more likely.
At this point you everyone should have a grasp on who Darnold is… A talented, sneaky athletic, thrower that isn’t great at processing and makes bad decisions under pressure. If things are dialed up for him he can look good… If not, he will not.
Yes, that can change but it will take years.
It might not take as long as you think. He’s now in a better system, with better coaches and surrounded by better talent. These alone will make him have better performances even if his processing doesn’t improve. I’m hoping he doesn’t get many chances this year to show improvement, which would mean Purdy stays healthy.
Jack doesn’t believe the QB room is as good as last year but I’m not sure I agree due to injuries. If Purdy and Sam stay relative healthy, I think the QB room will be better this year.
Poor decisions, and turning the ball over when he’s hurried has nothing to do with underachieving teams and weak coaching.
These are bad habits that have not been corrected during his 4 yrs in the NFL.
Darnold’s career has been one of inconsistency. If he is called upon the play this season, and the bad habits continue, the excuses of playing on bad teams and poor coaching, won’t cut it.
I’m calling Darnold’s contract a “No Excusees” contract, lol
“ Poor decisions, and turning the ball over when he’s hurried has nothing to do with underachieving teams and weak coaching.“. Of course it does. How ridiculous.
Since you believe that Darnold’s overall average stats are due to poor teams and coaching, I’ll repeat it again, if he makes the same mistakes that he’s made over the years, those excuses won’t cut it.
AES,
Heres to never finding out. I just hope BP is as good as he was last year, stays healthy and all we see out of Darnold this year is a bunch of victory formation kneel downs.
I never said his performance was all about poor teams and poor coaching. I’m guessing you can read so I won’t repeat myself. My comment should be obvious to anyone who knows anything about football. Of course a quarterback’s performance is going to be affected by coaching and the quality of the players around him.
I can read. But, your comprehension could use a tune-up. Coaching is one thing, picking up bad habits is an entirely different thing.
If Darnold can find success with better coaching and talent around him, that would be great, and I’m not crazy about repeating myself either. But, here it goes, IF HE MAKES THE SAME MISTAKES THAT HE’S MADE OVER THE YEARS, THOSE EXCUSES WON’T CUT IT.
Read it a few times, I’m sure you’ll eventually catch the context.
Well please “comprehend” this :
It will be VERY DIFFICULT (maybe even impossible) for Sam to make the same mistakes he did his first 4 years in the league ON THIS TEAM…WITH THIS TALENT….WITH THAT O-LINE…WITH THIS COACHING.
Besides, he went 4-2 last season on a Far inferior Panthers team. Had a lousy 6th(and last) game but the previous 5 games?
Look at these stats for those 5 games combined :
– 1,100 yards
– 8.8 yards/attempt
– 9 TDs (7 passing 2 rushing)
– 1 INT
– 105.4 passer rating
He already began his transformation into a Competent QB last season, as you can see.
The old Interception-Sam is GONE.
The numbers you see above are going to be the Sam that Niners fans will see in spite of their sky-is-falling chicken-little overreactions of a Brock Purdy injury scenario.
Or it can take ONE year starting with the #1’s to show that it was about the sh*tty teams in NY and Carolina and the Horrid Coaching of Gase (NY) and Rhule (Car), both out of the league btw.
Sam looked “decent” with mostly those who aren’t going to make the team. With the #1’s? He’ll look ABOVE-AVERAGE (not Steve DeBerg average but actual Above-average).
During TC, apparently Darnold had the fewest negative throws. I assume that’s Griese. He’ll also have the running game and YAC receivers if he plays. I see him as likely to be a more elusive distributor with a stronger arm to help keep the opposing secondary on its toes. We should be able to win with that.
Geo,
I couldn’t agree more. My concern for this team is on the defensive side of the ball. I’m concerned with the DE opposite of Bosa. I’m concerned with the up the middle run D. I’m concerned with the nickle back position. I’m concerned with how long Bosa holds out and his health when he comes back. Although its not defense i’m concerned with the place kicking situation.. Oh well we will see in 2 weeks.
Coach, opposite Bosa I think they’ll figure it out from a rotation of CF, Jackson and Bryant. The other points you make though concern me as well. Also the Latu pick is giving me very bad vibes. Potential waste of a third.
Geo,
I think his up coming knee surgery will give him a chance for a red shirt year. He struggled at Bama when he first changed positions and he seemed to improve towards the end of camp. Next year once he is totally entrenched in the playbook he should make a big step forward. Hopefully
don’t mind me.
Just testing something. lol