Trey Lance, the 49er with the brightest spotlight on him this preseason, led the 49ers to a 70-yard, game-winning drive to beat the Denver Broncos.
Jake Moody’s field goal barely split the goal posts, but it gave the 49ers a 21-20 victory.
Before the thrilling finish, there was special teams sloppiness, undisciplined penalties and an encouraging first taste of action for starting quarterback Brock Purdy.
Here are six takeaways from the Niners’ second preseason game.
In return, Brock Purdy completes assignment
Just over five months after undergoing elbow surgery for his torn UCL, Purdy saw his first game action.
As the Niners have been cautious with his workload, the 23-year-old has impressed in camp and looks like a lock to be their QB1.
On his first drive, Purdy went 4-for-5 with 65 yards. Kyle Shanahan scripted the drive masterfully and Purdy, in classic Shanahan fashion, wasn’t asked to do much. The quarterback picked up four first downs, mostly on screens or flats out of play action bootlegs. His best throw went to a crossing Jauan Jennings on his second progression when the flat was covered.
Purdy also made a nice read to find Brandon Aiyuk on a quick slant, noticing his defensive back was playing too far off.
In an encouraging sign, Purdy looked as comfortable as he did last year, extending plays with his feet and scrambling outside the pocket.
That was it for Purdy, as expected. Sam Darnold relieved him for the rest of the half. Despite playing just the one series, Purdy led San Francisco in passing yards until late in the third quarter.
If the only thing preventing him from starting Week 1 is him melting, there’s no doubt he’ll be leading the Niners out of the tunnel.
Lance’s chance
Lance entered with 1:22 left in the third quarter, giving him about a full quarter of audition time.
With the third-string offense, Lance had his ups and downs.
To earn a first down, Lance broke a tackle in the backfield, scrambled to his right to extend the play and threw a strike to the sideline on the run.
After a couple more decisive plays, Lance made a major mistake. Trying to flip a pass to a slip screen, Lance didn’t put enough air under the throw and it got picked off by a Denver lineman. The Broncos’ defensive line read the play like it was telegraphed.
His next sequence, Lance got right back up after taking a huge blindside hit, then earned a third-down conversion on a well-timed slant. But the Niners had to settle for a field goal after Lance didn’t see Willie Snead IV break open over the middle.
Next drive, Lance made an ill-advised, fluttering throw toward the left sideline on 1st and 20 that nearly got intercepted. But he kept the drive alive on 3rd and 13 by staying in a clean pocket and finding tight end Cameron Latu on an out.
The very next play, Lance immediately recognized a Denver blitz and ripped a pass to Snead between the hash marks for another first down. On his fifth consecutive completion, Lance hit Metu down the seam for a 22-yard touchdown to cap a 75-yard drive.
The 49ers won the ball back to set Lance up for a two-minute drill, with SF trailing 20-18.
After taking a sack, Lance converted a screen to Bell for a big pickup, then found the speedy Bell again for a massive 43-yard chunk.
No signature moment can come in the preseason. But Lance, who has everything to prove, delivered the clutch performance anyone could’ve asked for. When the game was on the line, he came through.
Lance has the talent — that’s never been a question. He still has room to grow. Will he get the opportunity to do so in San Francisco?
Punter problems?
Mitch Wishnowsky has the punting job by default, and one preseason game shouldn’t raise any serious alarm bells. But the fifth-season veteran certainly didn’t have his strongest night.
Wishnowsky’s first punt tailed off to the right for a meager 31 yards. His second attempt was hardly better, shanking 35 yards downfield.
In his career, Wishnowsky averaged 45.2 yards per punt. He ranked second to last in NFL last year in average yardage, but has the leg strength; his maximum distance of 74 yards was tied for third-longest of the season.
Kicker problems…
Jake Moody, the frontrunner for the starting kicker job, missed both of his field goal attempts in San Francisco’s preseason opener. He nailed a 20-yard chip shot to finally break the ice, but that hardly quelled concerns.
Moody, who never missed a PAT, shanked his first point-after attempt right of the goal post. The third-round pick was 148 of 148 at Michigan.
Right after the missed conversion, Moody left his kickoff well short. It nearly worked, as Denver’s return man muffed it, but it almost certainly wasn’t how Moody drew it up. He likely will have to adjust to the Santa Clara wind (although Ann Arbor’s conditions are hardly tame).
Later, Moody drilled a 43-yarder with ease to relieve at least some of the angst. And then, for the win, Moody’s 32-yarder snuck in just inside the right upright. The Niners knelt the ball out to get him in perfect position for the easy shot.
Still, the Niners might have a real competition at kicker. Pressure is building on Moody.
A poignant DB sequence
As the Broncos were driving with the game clock winding down to halftime, two consecutive plays illustrated some potential intrigue with the Niners’ secondary.
Samuel Womack III, perhaps fighting for a roster spot, made a great jump on a comebacking route, nearly intercepting a ball for a pick-six in front of SF’s sideline. Jarrett Stidham’s pass to the outside was late and fluttering, but Womack did well to deflect it.
On the very next play, though, Stidham found Jalen Virgil on a double move to the left side for a near touchdown.
Virgil dusted Ambry Thomas by several yards. Thomas, the third-round pick in 2021, got buried down the depth chart last season and may have a lot to prove in preseason.
Although Thomas’ spot on the team is likely secure, he’ll likely need to earn the coaching staff’s confidence. Ji’Ayir Brown, the rookie safety, made a key tackle to prevent the Broncos from scoring on Thomas’ busted coverage.
Also in the defensive backfield, Isaiah Oliver didn’t do much to help his case. SF signed him this offseason to start at nickel, but he committed his second missed tackle in as many preseason games, allowing tight end Greg Dulcich to easily clear the sticks on a key third down.
Later in the game, D’Shawn Jamison muffed a key punt, directly leading to Denver’s go-ahead touchdown. Special teams ability will likely decide the back-end of the cornerback depth chart, and that play could be a bellwether between him and Womack.
The secondary still needs to sort itself out. That’s what preseason’s for.
Darnold down on his luck
Sam Darnold played three series in the first half. His best pass — a 20-yard crosser dart over the middle — got negated by a holding penalty.
To start the second half, he threw another good ball over the middle that should’ve been a third-down conversion, but it hit Ronnie Bell in the hands and popped up for an interception.
Bell, the 2023 seventh rounder from Michigan, looked elusive in space on returns and after the catch, but that was his second drop that resulted in a pick this preseason. He also put the ball on the ground for a fumble that was recovered by SF. He flashed talent, but a lack of ball security certainly won’t help him.
Three of Darnold’s first four series resulted in three-and-outs. On Darnold’s lone scoring drive, he underthrew Chris Conley from his back foot on a potential deep touchdown.
Darnold finished 11-for-14 with 109 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He took two sacks and was neither spectacular nor terrible.
Darnold wasn’t seeing ghosts, per se. He just wasn’t getting the right bounces.