LAS VEGAS — Brock Purdy and the 49ers offense showed more chemistry in San Francisco’s third preseason game Friday night, but it certainly wasn’t perfect.
Most of the first team was on the field for a three-game series against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium, and they provided some standout shots and others they’d prefer to see return. Purdy had quarterback George Kittle, receiver Deebo Samuel and running back Jordan Mason on hand after all three sat out last week’s preseason win over the New Orleans Saints.
Birdie started his first drive. With an arrow from 27 yards to Samuelfollowed by a 15-yard pass completion to Kittle. The offense then stalled after Mason was fouled for a 5-yard loss, which was followed by two incomplete passes from Purdy — one to Mason and one to Kittle on a pass thrown behind the tight end.
The 49ers’ second drive was reminiscent of the 2023 season, when Purdy and company seemed unstoppable. The 12-play, 85-yard drive featured more offense with completed passes by quarterbacks Jake Tongis and Kittle and passing plays by Mason and rookie linebacker Isaac Gerindo, who just returned to the practice field this week.
Purdy also showed his ability to evade defenders by running for 14 yards to keep the team’s lead. Mason closed out the series with a 4-yard run, and when the third-year pro returned to the sidelines, running backs coach Bobby Turner patted him on the back and said, “Good job.”
Purdy’s third and final drive started well with a 15-yard pass to Chris Conley, followed by a 5-yard completion to Samuel before Mason scored some points and Purdy dropped. The third-year pro then threw a pass to Samuel that was lifted into the air, intercepted by Raiders safety Chris Smith II, who returned it for a 31-yard touchdown.
Overall, the 49ers offense looked more consistent than it did last week, but there’s still a lot of work to do before the Week 1 matchup with the New York Jets on “Monday Night Football.” Purdy finished the game with nine of 12 passes for 96 yards, with one interception, for a 63.2 rating.
Missing from the lineup are running back Kyle Juszczyk (veteran’s break), cornerback Christian McCaffrey (leg), wide receivers Juwan Jennings (slant side) and Brandon Aiyuk (contract), and left back Trent Williams (contract), all of whom are key contributors to the offense. Their return should help the group get back to the machine fans have seen in the past.
One positive development for the 49ers was the offensive linemen’s success on the ground, even with a handful of offensive linemen missing the game. The starting lineup Friday night was Jaylon Moore at left linebacker, Nick Zakelj at left guard, Jack Brindle at center, Dominic Bonney at right guard and Colton McKiewicz at right linebacker.
With a few more weeks of practice and a full complement of offensive players on the field, the 49ers have the potential to be as good as they have been in the past.
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