Santa Clara – The 49ers, who rested all their starters last week, opted to give their starting quarterback some action in the first period. Brock Purdy, playing in three series, struggled despite San Francisco’s 16-13 victory over the New Orleans Saints in their preseason home opener.
“He’s a baller, man. He makes plays, goes through his reads, and brings energy,” Purdy said on Joshua Dobbs. He is out there making plays and guys feed off it. That’s football. It’s not always going to be pretty and you drop back and everything’s going to be perfect. You’re going to have to make plays off-schedule and bring some juice to the team and guys feed off that. So love having him in the room. Like I said, he’s pretty electric.”
Purdy didn’t have his usual backup support, as 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan rested most of the offensive line. Purdy went 2-for-6 for 11 yards. It was backup quarterback Dobbs who shined for San Francisco, completing 12-of-21 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown. Dobbs’s 13-yard scramble set up his 1-yard touchdown run, ending the first half with the 49ers leading 13-7.
“There were two frustrating drives, just three and out,” said Shanahan. “I don’t think there was much there when he had it. He had a chance to make a big play on a keeper going back across but not enough plays. There weren’t really any good looks for him either.
Yeah, I think it was good just to get out there, get a feel for obviously the game speed and getting hit and trying to go through reads and stuff and just get the feel again. Obviously, wasn’t as productive as I’d had liked to have been myself, but that’s why it’s preseason, get out there and get a feel like that.”
Jake Moody added two field goals in the second period, for 47 and 24 yards. The Saints played most of their starters, but Derek Carr had a subpar performance, going 7-for-9 for 47 yards. Carr led a 16-play, 95-yard drive, capped by Taysom Hill’s 1-yard touchdown run to put New Orleans up 7-0.
The Saints didn’t score again until the third quarter when Blake Grupe made a 52-yard field goal, narrowing the gap to 10-13. The 49ers’ defense, continuing their strong performance from last season, made crucial stops in the fourth quarter to secure the win.
Despite the loss of several key defensive players from last season, San Francisco’s defense remains strong. New Defensive Coordinator Nick Sorensen believes the unit is a work in progress.
“Right now, I would say it’s good and we’re continuing to get better,” said Sorensen. “I love our energy. I think we can always compete more. I know we had the two fourth-down stops, which we love to count as turnovers on downs.”
Sorensen praised the team’s aggressiveness and communication, noting the progress of both young and new players.
“What’s exciting is how much they’re gravitating towards each other and really making this defense their own,” he added.
Key young players to watch on defense include second-year safety JiAyir Brown and rookie cornerback Renardo Green, both of whom made crucial stops in the game. Brown, who replaced Talanoa Hufanga last year after Hufanga’s torn ACL, was on the field before the game and has been cleared to resume practice soon.
“I wouldn’t say incredibly different because everything happened so fast last year and I had to mature to be able to help the team out the best way I could,” said Brown. “This year, it’s more about maintaining that and doing better.”
“Yeah, I’ve been putting the work in just trying to get better, trying to get my 1% every single day,”Green said. “I really just take things week by week. So my progress is my progress. But there’s still opportunities. Still, growth to be made. So that’s what I’m striving for.
The 49ers’ next preseason game will be on the road against the Oakland Raiders in Las Vegas on August 23rd at 7 p.m.
Photo by 49ers/Twitter
