SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Brock Purdy started Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints, but was not accompanied by any of the San Francisco 49ers’ celebrated pass catchers or the team’s All-Pro left tackle.
The result was as expected.
Purdy was hit twice on the opening series and never found his rhythm on any of his three possessions. A long ball to Trent Taylor was incomplete when the receiver appeared to abort the route. Purdy frantically signaled Brayden Willis to come back to him during a broken scramble to the sideline, but the tight end never turned around.
The quarterback tried to work some Purdy magic on another play where no one was free, evading a defender and then throwing back down the field to tight end Eric Saubert. The result: a near interception. Purdy had completed 2 of 6 passes for 11 yards with a passer rating of 42.4 when he left the game late in the first quarter.
So why should he play at all? Even his regular-season playmaker, Kyle Shanahan, had the night off in that regard, turning those duties over to his assistant, Klay Kubiak, for the second consecutive season.
Purdy said he’s able to take things from the game that are simply not available to him in practice. Ironically, that includes having to hone his mental clock to avoid getting hit and knowing how to take a hit.
“You can’t do that in training,” he said. “It didn’t bother me, it’s part of the game.”
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Purdy will not be able to use all of his weapons in the final game of the season on Friday in Las Vegas. Christian McCaffrey is still out with a calf injury, Jauan Jennings has an oblique muscle problem and Brandon Aiyuk’s contract situation is still unclear. Shanahan said he watched Sunday’s game in a stadium suite with his injured teammates.
GO DEEPER
Brandon Aiyuk, Trent Williams and some last-minute optimism from the 49ers
But Deebo Samuel Sr., George Kittle, Kyle Juszczyk and several others who missed Sunday’s game should be there, and the goal will be to find a better rhythm.
“Week 1 is closer than we think,” Purdy said. “We have to be prepared.”
Jacob Cowing makes a last-minute push to the punt returner
So That is why they drafted Jacob Cowing.
The 49ers’ fourth-round pick has been a bit of an enigma until recently. He didn’t practice much in the spring and missed most of training camp with a strained hamstring. But he was back on the field last week and looked good at practices on Thursday and Friday.
He carried that momentum into Sunday’s game. Cowing was the team’s leading receiver, including a 38-yard pass from Joshua Dobbs down the right sideline that set up San Francisco’s only touchdown. He also had a 19-yard run in the third quarter, the 49ers’ longest run of the game.
The 49ers see Cowing, who ran the 40 yards in 4.38 seconds, as a faster version of former receiver Ray-Ray McCloud, who was Samuel’s backup the last two seasons and was used for gadget plays like end arounds and jet sweeps.
It’s notable that Cowing, like McCloud, also served as the team’s punt returner on Sunday, returning two punts for 19 yards with one fair catch. Most importantly for Shanahan and the coaching staff – there were no awkward moments on the punt returns.
“First of all, his composure on punt returns was good to see,” Shanahan said. “He made good decisions on those.”
38-yard strike ‼️ @josh_dobbs1 X @jaycowing_#NOvsSF on FOX
📱 NFL+ // https://t.co/KTh0i4oaLh pic.twitter.com/bEyhMjUZzU— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) 19 August 2024
The team relies on newcomers… even Tanner Mordecai
Almost every rookie on the team had an important role, including running back Cody Schrader and guard Dominick Puni, who started on offense, and cornerback Renardo Green, who started on defense and often had to face the Saints’ best receiver, Chris Olave.
The 49ers were without most of their regular players and the team is particularly weak at running back, with McCaffrey, Elijah Mitchell, Jordan Mason, Isaac Guerendo and Patrick Taylor Jr. all battling injuries. Shanahan said Mason, who started the first preseason game, is dealing with hip pain.
Even undrafted rookie quarterback Tanner Mordecai, who has rarely been used in practice, got in the game. Mordecai completed his first four passes in the fourth quarter before his drive stalled and the 49ers had to settle for a field goal.
“He was in rhythm, on time and made good decisions,” Purdy said. “He went out there and ran our offense pretty efficiently. (I’m) excited about him. I know it’s going to continue to build his confidence the more he plays.”
The only rookies who did not contribute were receivers Ricky Pearsall (shoulder) and Guerendo (hamstring), who are out with injuries. It is unclear if either will return to practice this week.
Rookie QB Tanner Mordecai completed his first four passes on Sunday. (Cary Edmondson / USA Today)
The Top-O line starts but is incomplete
The idea on Sunday was to protect Purdy in the starting lineup for San Francisco’s offensive line, but that designation came with an asterisk.
The team’s best lineman, Trent Williams, is hoping for a better contract, while starter Aaron Banks is out with a broken pinky finger. The 49ers hope to have him back by Week 1.
Williams’ replacement, Jaylon Moore, allowed a quarterback hit by Bryan Bresee on the first series. Nick Zakelj started at left guard in place of Banks and then moved to center – replacing Jake Brendel – when Purdy left the game. At that point, sixth-round pick Jarrett Kingston took over the left guard position. He played there the entire first half and moved to right guard in the second half.
49ers emergency punter steals the show
One concrete conclusion from preseason game No. 2: If punter Mitch Wishnowsky gets injured during the season, the 49ers know who to call.
Wishnowsky’s temporary replacement, Pressley Harvin III, punted three times inside the 10-yard line against the Saints. Each of the massive punts played out similarly: The Saints returner thought they were rolling into the end zone for a touchback, but instead bounced the other way and was knocked down by the 49ers. The New Orleans average starting position on Sunday was their own 20-yard line.
Harvin, 25, has been filling in for Wishnowsky, who is dealing with what the team describes as knee discomfort. Wishnowsky wore his uniform on Sunday and was the team’s field goal holder, suggesting his problem is not serious.
Harvin played the last three seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, during which time he made 75 punts inside the 20-yard line.
(Top photo: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)
