The 49ers got off to a slow start against the Chargers on Sunday night at LoFi Stadium. They bounced back nicely to pull out a 15-10 victory for their first win of the exhibition slate.
Here are our quarter-by-quarter observations from the game:
First quarter
(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
– Maurice Hurst got a ton of penetration on a second-and-3, but Chargers QB Easton Stick escaped for an 11-yard gain. If Hurst can finish that play he’ll see plenty of playing time. – Arik Armstead bit hard on a play-action fake, but he pursued the play as Stick rolled out and came up with a sack. Not a great start to the play for him, but good pursuit to tally a sack. Good coverage down the field as well. – Pass breakup for rookie CB Deommodore Lenoir ends the Chargers’ first series. He had a pretty good week against the Chiefs and that’s a good start for him in this one. – Jimmy Garoppolo tried a deep shot to Brandon Aiyuk but badly overthrew it. He might’ve gotten hit as he threw because the ball came out ugly. – Excellent work from Garoppolo in the collapsing pocket on a first-and-10. He was pressured immediately, stepped up and found a running lane for 10 yards. That was a terrific display of decision-making and mobility that Garoppolo didn’t flash last year. – On a third-and-2, Garoppolo had Hasty open on a quick out but threw it late and the defender closed to make the tackle short of the sticks. He has to get the ball out faster and give his receiver a chance to make a play. – Ouch. Garoppolo’s throw for Brandon Aiyuk on a third-and-12 sails high and off the receiver’s hands for an interception. Not a good throw, but Aiyuk probably should’ve caught it. The silver lining? The 49ers put together a 16-play drive. End of first quarter score: 49ers 0, Chargers 0
Second quarter
(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
– Nice job by Samson Ebukam in his debut. He fought hard to beat a block inside to drag Stick down for no gain as Stick tried to scramble past him. Ebukam missed the preseason opener. – Trey Lance takes over at QB to start the second quarter. The drive stalls when his dart over the middle runs high and behind Deebo Samuel. It bounced off the receiver’s hands, but that would’ve been a very difficult catch. Better ball placement would’ve been a big gain. – DL Kentavius Street and Kevin Givens blew up a running play in the backfield for a loss of 1. If Street is going to have a big year, the 49ers defensive line is going to be hard to stop. – Huge play by DE Jordan Willis to come up with a sack in the end zone for a safety. Willis flat out beat the tackle around the corner to hit Stick before he could move. That’s a great play for the DE, who’ll be suspended for the first six games for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing substance policy. – Lance’s second series ends on an interception. He fires a high, hard one to WR Mohamed Sanu who couldn’t reel it in. Accuracy and touch have both been problems for the rookie in this one. – Heck of a play by Stick for the Chargers’ first touchdown of the game. LB Marcell Harris did a nice job stringing the play out to the right as Stick rolled out. Somehow WR Joshua Palmer snuck behind safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix for the score. – Ugly third series from Lance ends in a sack. He misses a throw bad on the first play, then on third-and-5 takes a sack when he probably could’ve run for a first down. He has not looked comfortable. – Oof. Big play allowed by rookie CB Ambry Thomas. It’s a 39-yard completion. He has a long way to go. – Tough play by LB Jonas Griffith who’s fighting for a roster spot. Stick scrambled on a second-and-19, slid and Griffith came in late and grabbed the face mask for a 15-yard penalty. That’s a backbreaking penalty for the second-year undrafted linebacker. – There’s Talanoa Hufanga. He flew in off the edge to blow up a run in the backfield. Nice job by the safety with a strong hit and sure tackle. – Zach Kerr is all over the place tonight. On the Chargers’ final series of the first half he had a batted pass on a play where he drew a holding call. Then he came up with a QB pressure to force an intentional grounding flag. Then he blew up a run play on third down. Heck of a series for him. – Lance executes a touchdown drive where he took over with 57 seconds left and two timeouts. The highlight was a sweet throw down the sideline to WR Trent Sherfield for 41 yards. He capped the drive with a 5-yard strike to Sanu for a touchdown. His two-point conversion run was called back by a holding flag on rookie LT Jaylon Moore. Robbie Gould missed the long extra point. Lance looked great on that series after a couple disastrous drives to start. End of second quarter score: Chargers 10, 49ers 8
Third quarter
(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
– A 26-yard kick return to start the second half for Nsimba Webster will aid his chances to make the roster. – Bad drive for Lance to start the second half. He took a big sack then ripped a throw a little high to WR Richie James Jr. The 49ers eventually punted. – Deommodore Lenoir and Webster nearly combined to down Mitch Wishnowsky’s punt deep. They came up a little short but it was great hustle by two players trying to earn roles. – Lance on a second-and-6 pulls the ball down and races to the edge for a gain of 8. That was a good use of his legs that we didn’t see at all vs. the Chiefs. – There’s a hard throw that’s caught. Third-and-4, Lance fires one in to veteran WR Travis Benjamin for a first down. He had to put some zip on that and hit the receiver in the chest. – Wow. A 16-yard touchdown throw to Benjamin might be the play of the preseason for Lance. He fired a laser into a tight window that Benjamin corralled and took into the end zone. That was a big-time throw that not every quarterback has the arm strength to make. – Alex Barrett flashed with a loud run stop in the backfield. End of third quarter score: 49ers 15, Chargers 10
Fourth quarter
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– Ambry Thomas was flagged for a pass interference on a third-and-6. He had a pass breakup with really good coverage, but the official thought he had a little too much coverage. – Marcell Harris flies in for a loud hit on a swing pass. Harris has done a nice job hanging around the line of scrimmage as a linebacker. – Safety Jared Mayden came up with an interception that he returned for a touchdown. He baited the throw and undercut the route. There was a hold on the return that negated the touchdown, but a terrific play nonetheless for the second-year undrafted defensive back looking to make the roster. – Newly-signed CB Devontae Harris is all over the field. – Kai Nacua, who dropped an interception earlier, flew in for a sack on Chargers QB Chase Daniel. He got in untouched and finished the play. – Big punt return by James for 31 yards on a 43-yard boot. James needed a good game and he’s come up with a couple big plays. That’s good work for him after a tough first preseason outing. – Hasty is having a really nice preseason. He took a quick throw on a screen and broke several tackles to pick up 6 on a third-and-long. He’s making it very hard to keep him off the roster. – Another screen to Hasty on third-and-8 goes for 7. It looked like a first down, but a review (in preseason!) overturned it. Preseason reviews. Who knew? Final score: 49ers 15, Chargers 10
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