Everyone is cheering: the preseason is over. And it ends with a tie for the 49ers.
The San Francisco 49ers finished the 2024 preseason with a tie, allowing the Las Vegas Raiders to tie the game at 24-24 with 16 seconds left. The 49ers finished the preseason with a record of 1-1-1.
In a game that saw the visiting Red & Gold jump out to an early 10-0 lead, the home team fought back to make the game entertaining throughout. And in the end, the 49ers couldn’t hold off the Raiders, tying the score with a 43-yard field goal from kicker Daniel Carlson.
Regardless, there were some takeaways from Week 3 of the preseason. Let’s dive in, shall we?
On to the regular season.#FTTB pic.twitter.com/rrdulFhryI
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) 24 August 2024
Brock Purdy thrives with starters he can throw to, Go Figure
After his first preseason appearance, it was fair to question Brock Purdy, but as he has done throughout his football career, he has bounced back accordingly.
The 49ers’ franchise quarterback showed off Purdy’s classic style against the Raiders, completing 9 of 12 passes for 96 yards. He also gained 14 yards on the ground and used his legs to pick up a key first down. Although he was only on the field for three drives, they were all worthwhile and showcased a variety of Purdy’s skills.
His only blemish was the interception, but that really wasn’t his fault. The ball deflected off the cornerback on a Deebo Samuel slant and bounced to another DB. He also took a few hits, including one on the INT.
He wouldn’t be Brock Purdy if he didn’t always give 110%, even in the preseason.
His best play of the day was a third down throw to George Kittle, which he threw over the linebacker as he was under pressure. The ball landed at Kittle’s feet, who rose up and took a 15-yard run.
A perfectly layered throw from Brock Purdy to George Kittle. My goodness 🎯 pic.twitter.com/1bHOYJAvvP
— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) 24 August 2024
Once again, Purdy can do magic even when it seems impossible. The most important thing is his command of the offense, which he has full control of in his third year in the NFL. If he can carry that into the regular season, it should be another successful year for the 49ers offense.
Jordan Mason season or we riot
The verdict is in: Jordan Mason has earned the right to be the 49ers’ RB2 for Christian McCaffrey.
Jordan Mason is a 1,000-yard back on another team
— Brian Peacock (@BDPeacock) 24 August 2024
“JP” has looked like a three-down running back in 2024 and put on another strong performance against Las Vegas. Mason finished with 49 yards and a touchdown on nine touches. The numbers don’t tell the whole picture, though, as the powerful ball carrier showed versatility on every run. His patience was uncanny, and he found gaps to force his way to first downs.
His ability to catch passes is really impressive. The 49ers throw him wide open like McCaffrey. He has a little more momentum now and dances past Raiders defenders. Even the coach he dropped was impressive and was able to almost tiptoe past the sideline to complete the pass.
Simply put, no other 49ers ball carrier has developed like JP Mason in recent years, and if he isn’t listed as No. 2 on the list, there could be an uproar on 49ers Twitter (myself included).
Can anyone stay healthy?
That’s a bit of an exaggeration (well, maybe not), but the 49ers have had way too many injuries this preseason. Adding Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos to the list is icing on the cake.
Both of the 49ers’ newest pass-rushing weapons suffered knee injuries on the same drive in the first quarter against Las Vegas. The former went down and struggled to get off the field after teammate Maliek Collins fell on his knee. The latter, meanwhile, was injured when teammate De’Vondre Campbell pinned Gross-Matos’ leg to the turf during a tackle.
Both men were deemed doubtful for their return and were ruled out at half-time.
The good news: Both seem to have avoided serious injuries, and Floyd was seen smiling on the 49ers sideline afterward. And that’s great considering that defensive end is the thinnest position on the team’s roster.
Still, the 49ers are definitely grateful that the preseason is coming to an end and they can (hopefully) put their injury worries behind them.
San Francisco 49ers 2024 schedule:
Regular season
- Monday, September 9 vs. New York Jets – 5:15 p.m. PDT
- Sunday, September 15 @Minnesota Vikings – 10am PDT
- Sunday, September 22 – @ Los Angeles Rams – 1:25 p.m. PDT
- Sunday, September 29 vs. New England Patriots – 1:05 p.m. PDT
- Sunday, October 6 vs. Arizona Cardinals – 1:05 p.m. PDT
