Brock Purdy and the 49ers’ offense showed flashes of promise and glimpses of problems during San Francisco’s third preseason game on this Friday night. The game against the Las Vegas Raiders in their hosting precinct of Allegiant Stadium was a mixed bag for the 49ers first team offense. With some good plays, it pinpointed areas where their game is needed to be cleaned up going into the regular season.
Successes and Struggles of Brock Purdy and the 49ers’ First Drive
The game started with great expectations for Brock Purdy and the 49ers’ offensive unit as they looked to really showcase the chemistry after a rather disjointed performance in their previous game. There were flashes of a really good start on San Francisco’s opening drive. Purdy hit Deebo Samuel for 25 yards, setting a tone early. The 15-yard completion to George Kittle followed, which indicates the quarterback can get it to his playmakers.
But the drive, for all intents and purposes, sputtered almost as soon as it began. Running back J.P. Mason met a five-yard loss in a tackle and erased all momentum. On the next set of plays, an immediate rhythm was not found for Purdy. He attempted passes to Mason and Kittle, but both failed-one was incomplete to Mason and the other behind Kittle-so the opportunity was passed up. With the opportunity to come within 1 point, the first pass that had gone awry led to an interception in Tiger territory and then a turnover on downs.
The second drive was a tantalizing look at the 49ers’ offense when it clicked at the highest level. It was a sequence of plays reminiscent of the way the 2023 team went about things during the performances in which Purdy and Co. looked unstoppable. The 12-play, 85-yard drive was very diversified, with completions to tight end Jake Tonges and Kittle, and impressive runs by Mason and rookie Isaac Guerendo.
Guerendo, who had just returned to the practice field, weighed in with a couple of powerful rushes of his own. Purdy also got to show off his wheels on a 14-yard scramble to pick up a first down. He showed he could make a big play under pressure. The drive was capped off by a four-yard touchdown run by Mason, a score that brought quite a stirring on the sideline. Running backs coach Bobby Turner could be seen patting Mason on the back and giving commendations, which showed that the coach was pleased with Mason’s performance .
Third Drive Ends in Disappointment
The last BYU drive of the game also was a bit of a mixed bag. Brock Purdy and the 49ers’ offense opened up with a 15-yard pass to Chris Conley followed up by a 5-yard completion to Samuel. It showed again the great relationship Purdy has with his receivers but, in between a couple of Mason runs, a sack on Purdy breaks the drive.
From there, things got worse, as Purdy tried a poor pass to Samuel that was tipped by a Raider defender into the hands of safety Chris Smith II. Smith returned the interception 31 yards, cutting short what would have been a productive enough drive, considering how the quarterback and the offense should execute their plays with such precision.
Performance Analysis
Brock Purdy and the 49ers’ offense had a performance that was a perfect tale of two halves. Areas of improvement are shown on the first and third drives, where a feature that leads to consistency must come forward and the complete failure to commit any costly mistakes is in dire need. The second drive demonstrated the capability of the offensive team if all the pieces start working in tone.
Purdy mixed flashes of brilliance with some tough moments. On 9-for-16 passing for 96 yards, Purdy highlighted that he could find his playmakers; he just needs to have better discipline on his accuracy and decision making. A 63.2 grade from Pro Football Focus is a nice starting point for the coaching staff in his first regular season.
As the 49ers prepare for the New York Jets this coming “Monday Night Football” in their first week, coaching staff and players will have to make sure to not repeat the mistakes observed during the preseason game against the Raiders. Its performance against the Raiders pinpointed the strengths and weaknesses that have to be managed well if the regular season is to be a success.
Head Coach Kyle Shanahan and his staff will have a lot of work to do to sharpen their offensive strategies and get timing right between Purdy and his receivers—especially on high yardage gains. They also need to execute the game without mistakes like the one that led to the interception to give a chance to cash in on points.
The preseason is the perfect time to tinker, evaluate, and make adjustments in strategy, and, to date, the 49ers have indicated that they bear imitation as a competitive team. Their offense, courtesy of major contributions from Samuel, Kittle, and Mason, has everything to make it a decent unit. The trick will be the chemistry of combining these elements into one united personnel that can perform well in regular-season action.
Fan and Team Expectations
The performance of the Brock Purdy and the 49ers’ offense during the preseason proved to have quite a bit of utility, particularly for ardent fans and analysts anticipating the new season. Bright spots were certainly present, but the mottled results reminded that there remains a great deal to improve upon and details to be ironed out. The optimism is high, with the expectation of sorting out these problems before the team takes the field for real.
Conclusion
Brock Purdy and the 49ers’ offense have shown flashes of what their potential could be, but quite a bit of work needs to be done for sure regarding the inconsistencies the preseason game showed. The team’s ability to make adjustments in style to enhance their execution is going to be very key as the team heads to the New York Jets to open its 2024 NFL season.
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