Santa Clara – Despite a slow start for both teams in the first half, the game picked up after halftime. The 49ers were without most of their starters, giving backups a chance to compete for final roster spots. San Francisco scored three touchdowns to defeat the San Diego Chargers 33-30.
Both third-string quarterbacks battled it out. Carter Bradley went 8-for-14 for 71 yards and one touchdown, while Tanner Mordecai, signed just two days ago, went 10-for-13 for 103 yards and one touchdown. Mordecai suffered an ankle injury and did not return.
Injuries have been an ongoing issue for the team since the start of camp. Still, the show must go on. Not only are the 49ers preparing to kick off the season, but the Bay Area is also gearing up to host Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in 2026.
“I feel that we’ve done as good as we can with the time we’ve been allotted, said Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan. I tell our players, the final 53 is never the final 53. It changes throughout the year. We’ve got to pick out 53, and we’ve got to figure out our 16 practice squad guys. We’ve got to find out who’s healthy, who’s going to go on IR, who’s going to be on PUP. We’ll make those decisions on Tuesday, but we’re not going to stop making them as the year goes.”
Jake Moody missed the extra point following Demarcus Robinson’s 22-yard touchdown reception from Mordecai in the second quarter. Despite Moody’s inconsistencies, head coach Kyle Shanahan said he remains confident in the kicker’s future with the team.
“I thought he had one of the best games I’ve ever seen a guy have last week, Shanahan said. “I know he missed an extra point today, which definitely doesn’t make us happy. But, we’ll see how it goes in the year. He’s a talented kicker. He had a really good offseason and a really good preseason.”
One of the day’s biggest highlights came late in the fourth quarter when linebacker Curtis Robinson stole the show with a Pick-6. Reading the route perfectly, Robinson stepped in front of DJ Uiagalelei’s pass and had nothing but open field ahead of him. He sprinted 32 yards into the end zone, giving the 49ers a 23-16 lead late in the fourth.
Robinson couldn’t have asked for a better start following last season’s injury. He tore his ACL in practice last September, which ended his season. Robinson was activated off the PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) list on August 1. Robinson reflected on his touchdown and his recovery.
“Once I caught it, it almost felt like I paused for a second. It kind of caught me off guard,” Robison said on his interception.
“It is a blur, but I think when I got to the sideline, my parents were right behind the bench and even just talking to [LB Coach] Johnny [Holland]. That’s kind of when everything settled and I felt myself get emotional. It was just like an accumulation of all the work from the beginning to camp, just working through stuff, it was really cool.”
Former 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh made his first appearance back at Levi’s Stadium as a visiting head coach. Joining him were former quarterback Trey Lance, who returned as backup to Justin Herbert, as well as former linebacker NaVorro Bowman and offensive coordinator Greg Roman, both of whom returned to their old stomping grounds.
“It was great,”Harbaugh said. “Beautiful stadium. So many great memories and it was a great night for football. I got to talk to [former 49ers LB] Patrick [Willis] and [former 49ers RB] Frank [Gore] before the game. Just having those different conversations was really cool.
It’s been a lot of years but it’s been a lot of days. So many days where every day has an ‘on to the next’ mentality. For one that’s not real nostalgic, there’s some nostalgia there because it was such good times.”
Photo by 49ers/Twitter
