For the second week in a row, I was impressed with how gritty a young and undermanned (so many injuries for them) 49ers team played...for two weeks now they have played with purpose and squeezing every ounce out of the guys they got (and they are down to like their 7th/8th-string option at RB due to all the injuries). It’s not the most talented team I am watching this preseason, but they are one of the most ‘try hard’ and ‘fighting’ teams that I’ve seen this preseason.
And... For the second week in a row, I am completely perplexed at what the Raiders are doing with their roster, depth chart order, and just game play in general. They are the anti-49ers this preseason...SF is playing over their head this preseason and Vegas just looks like a mess -- bad O-Line play, bad defense, a mediocre QB getting weaker/more perplexing every week.
The Raiders had a hot crowd and the team was energetic in spurts...but they just don’t have the horses to keep up the hot play/intensity. Vegas led most of this game but a late pick and a Jake Moody career long 59-yard FG at the buzzer gave the win to the deserving 49ers.
Player Notes:
-- We got to see the second Ashton Jeanty (7-33-1, 1-2-0/1) game appearance. It was better than his debut, but it wasn’t anything overly special nor was it anything concerning. It was fine. He’s gonna be fine.
The one thing I walked away from this tape thinking was -- Jeanty is always trying to ram face first into tacklers, but the tacklers are trying to crush him right back...Jeanty’s runs in the preseason tend to be ‘very loud’...helmets and shoulder pads cracking on nearly every touch. I wonder...just wondering...if he is going to have a concussion issue as his career unfolds, unless he changes his style up a bit.
He's so into punishing the tackler that he is getting as much punishment as he is dishing out. Especially troubling when he works behind a terrible O-Line, so he often gets a carry and then there’s nowhere for him to go and tries to stop-start change directions and defenders are ramming into him at high speeds as he is slowing down trying to find space...thus the negative yardage debut Week 1.
I would say, at this stage, Jeanty is ‘human’. He’s good...probably really good. But he may or may not be great, and it will be tough to find out just how good he is right now with no O-Line and a weak offense in general. Remember when Saquon was ‘disappointing’ with the Giants all those years? Jeanty got a bad draw off the bat playing for this confounding team under new management.
-- Raheem Mostert (3-9-0, 3-16-0/4) may or may not be the 3rd-down back in this offense (further hurting Jeanty’s FF upside for 2025).
The first 3rd-down, Jeanty stayed in. The next 3rd-down, Mostert was in for Jeanty. Then Mostert was the lead back for a bit when Jeanty left the game for good...but then I saw Mostert rotating in late in the 3rd-quarter for a few plays. I’m not sure what the Raiders are doing with or what they think of Mostert in the grand scheme of things. But Mostert being a 3rd-down back, especially early on...might be real, and the Raiders are gonna be in a lot of 3rd-down situations this season it looks like.
-- Through two games, I can sum up the Raiders offensive plan easily...
Either run the ball with Jeanty
OR
Geno Smith (6-8 for 55 yards, 0 TD/0 INT) tries to throw a bomb to a usually-not-open Donte Thornton (0-0-0/2)...and the passes never get close to landing.
What the fixation is with Thornton is beyond me. He’s a one-trick-pony WR (‘run fast deep’) with shaky hands and no route running ability. But we’re two games into the preseason and that’s where Geno seems to want to go.
...and the Thornton fixation could affect Brock Bowers (1-28-0/1) FF-upside for 2025. I don’t see Geno looking for Bowers like his life depended upon it...no, he desperately wants to get the ball to Thornton above all.
Bowers had a nice 28-yard snag here, but it was a deep ball throw off the mark, but BB went up and got it. I see absolutely no ‘pitch and catch’ with Bowers and Geno. Maybe they are saving it for the regular season.
-- All the Geno issue talk, if you think, or if I think, maybe I’m just ‘seeing stuff’...I had the opportunity to easily compare in this game to what Brock Purdy (5-7 for 66 yards, 0 TD/0 INT, 1-1-0) was doing on the other side of the field.
While Geno is rushing/forcing bombs to Thornton or throwing off the mark passes to Bowers...Purdy was his usual, subtle surgeon self. Totally under control...even with not-the-greatest blocking. Purdy manipulated the defense and the blockers and rolled out or stood tall in the pocket and went after Ricky Pearsall (3-42-0/4) for his first three completions on the first drive, three surgical strikes.
You could tell Purdy/Shanahan had a plan to get Pearsall some work immediately...and then Shanny pulled him fast from the game...and then Purdy just started using DeMarcus Robinson (3-44-0/4) and others. Purdy was very much in control here but also note that the Raiders secondary is terrible so it was an easy pitch & catch with Pearsall and DRob. for a brief appearance for Purdy.
Pearsall looked very competent, capable here...good/solid routes. Watching him play, I am getting some Alec Pierce/IND vibes...and I don’t want that. I hope he is FF-better than that.
-- SF UDFA rookie RB Corey Kiner (2-23-0, 1-4-0/1) was looking solid again, but then he came up with a not-great-looking ankle injury. He now gets added to the long list of 49ers RBs who are down/hurt.
-- Raiders rookie QB Cam Miller (2-6 for 25 yards, 0 TDs/1 INT) has some nice tools to work with, develop. But it might take a few years of development.
Appearing with Miller, late into the game, was WR Shedrick Jackson (3-28-0/3)...second week in a row Shedrick stood out. He probably won’t even make the team...because that’s the way the Raiders seem to be rolling...Shedrick, Dylan Laube, Chris Collier are all talented 4th/5th-stringers (per LV depth chart) who shouldn’t be 4th/5th stringers.
-- IDP Notes...
49ers rookie SAF Marques Sigle (3 tackles) is playing well for two games in a row now...he’s about to snag a starting spot for Week 1.
SF free agent DB Chase Lucas (2 tackles, 1 sack, 1 PD) is killing it in camp and in the preseason games. He’s on track to make the team and play some meaningful snaps.
LB Tatum Bethune (2 tackles) looks good every time I watch him. He’s on track to make the team, I think...and may push to start in the future.
I watched several snaps on LV rookie DT J.J. Pegues (2 tackles, 0.5 sacks)...he looks good, promising...but there is no indication yet of him being used on offense like he was so adept at in college...running the ball in the wild cat in goal line situations.
-- Quick note on the overall DSTs here...
Second week in a row that the 49ers defense has looked quite good...especially for all the roster turmoil and injuries they’ve been under this year.
On the other hand, this Raiders group does not look good at all. A long season upcoming for Las Vegas.
