What We Saw: Preseason Week 3

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49ers @ Raiders

Final Score: 49ers 24 – Raiders 24

Writer: Brendan Boe (@BeeBoeFF on Twitter)

A bit of background: I grew up in the Bay Area, so I was stoked to hop on a game that represented both of my lifelong franchises. I’ve always loved watching these teams battle it out, but that said, I want to give an unbiased perspective from an analytical point of view. So here goes… The 49ers wanted to give Brock Purdy another chance to show what he can do. So they gave him two of his best weapons, and it could’ve gone better. Not a total trainwreck, but c’mon man, it’s the preseason – let’s see what other talent is on your team! Meanwhile, the Raiders did exactly that: show us what else you have to offer. Sure, it was hit or miss, but we got to see some exciting plays from lesser-known (or unknown) talent who are clawing their way onto the roster with this final opportunity before the season.

Three Up

Jordan Mason – Yet another solid outing, it would be a surprise if he hasn’t earned the #2 spot.
Tyriek McCallister – Great night with 2 touchdowns, and although he had few touches on offense, he made the most of them.
Joshua Dobbs – Had the highest QB rating by a wide margin (130) as he continued his excellent preseason campaign.

One Down

Dylan Laube – Concerns for his awareness on the field, particularly running into his teammate which ended the play.

49ers

Quarterback

Brock Purdy: 9/12, 96 Yards, INT | 1 Carry, 14 Yards

Purdy completed the majority of his passes for decent gains, but he seemed to lean on Deebo and Kittle to move the ball. I suspect he wanted to make up for his subpar performance from last week, but I was hoping to see more opportunities for players we’re less familiar with. The interception made his final stat line look worse than it was; it’s worth noting that the defender put his hand where it needed to be to deflect the pass to another defending player.

Notes

A couple of great passes to his #1 guys in the first drive
Nice QB scramble for 17 yards
Patience to complete his reads and get the ball into the hands of his offense
With Kittle and Deebo on the field, Purdy seemed to lean on them as his crutches

Missed Opportunities

Intercepted when targeting Deebo; the ball was deflected, good defensive play
Took a sack, losing 3 yards

Brandon Allen: 5/7, 60 Yards | 1 Carry, -1 Yard

Decisiveness is Allen’s bane as he was unable to find targets on multiple drives. His performance could’ve been worse as a ball was nearly intercepted, but regardless he took a couple of sacks that could’ve been avoided if he had more awareness and mobility.

Notes

Beautiful spiral for a 24-yard pass
Seems unwilling to commit to his first or second reads; holds onto the ball for too long

Missed Opportunities

3-and-out on multiple drives
Took a sack; he seemed indecisive with the ball. Sacked again 2 plays later for -12 yards
Nearly intercepted throwing deep; lucky for him, just an incomplete pass

Josh Dobbs: 8/10, 72 Yards, 1 TD | 2 Carries, -3 Yards

The Passtronaut is at it again! Outside of a sack for loss, Dobbs marched down the field for a touchdown without a single incompletion in his first drive. Throughout the second half, he displayed confidence in his receivers as he was willing to target multiple players. He’s shown great awareness and vision throughout the preseason, and his performance tonight reinforced the confidence we should have in him as Purdy’s backup.

Notes

5 out of 5 passes in his 1st drive for a total of 38 passing yards and a touchdown
Showed great decisiveness and willingness to spread the ball out

Missed Opportunities

A nearly perfect drive was interrupted by a sack for a loss

Running Back

Jordan Mason: 8 Carries, 42 Yards, TD | 1 Catch, 7 Yards

Mason’s first carry was for a loss, but he made up for it with each one afterward being a positive gain, amassing 40 yards by the end of the 1st quarter. He’s looked excellent this preseason, and although nobody can fill the shoes of his teammate Christian McCaffrey, Mason is making a strong case for being the #2.

Notes

Tough run for 11 yards; forced a missed tackle
Back-to-back runs with good gains, 12 and 7 respectively
Powered through the D-line for a touchdown
Great catch for 7 yards, with about 8 yards after the catch

Missed Opportunities

Loss of 5 yards on his first carry

Isaac Guerendo: 11 Carries, 32 Yards | 2 Catches, 3 Yards

Guerendo boasts the Niners highlight of the night as he booked it down the field for a 92-yard kick return, leading to a short touchdown by his teammate. At 6′ 2″ and 221, this big back uses a combination of strength, speed, and awareness to power down the field. Outside of Mason, he was the rushing attack in this game.

Notes

A couple of strong runs down the middle for 6 yards each
92-yard kick return! Forced several missed tackles to get the ball inside the 10
Had multiple catches; despite being short, RB involvement in the passing game is always noteworthy

Patrick Taylor Jr.: 4 Carries, 15 Yards, 1 TD

A relatively quiet night outside of his touchdown, he seemed to be third in the pecking order. The final game stats imply that Cody Schrader was more involved, but the 49ers were trying to run out the clock at that point.

Notes

Two carries inside the 10 to get the touchdown after Guerrendo’s massive kick return
Elusive 12-yard run for a first down; nearly broke away for the touchdown

Cody Schrader: 7 Carries, 27 Yards

All seven of Schrader’s carries were in the final drive as the 49ers were hoping to run out the clock. Outside of his 12-yard rush, there’s not much else of note here.

Notes

Seven carries in one drive – Niners were trying to end this game

Wide Receiver/Tight End

Deebo Samuel: 2 Catches, 32 Yards

We know what to expect with Deebo – he played in this game because Purdy didn’t look so hot the week before.

Notes

Big catch for 27 yards

Missed Opportunities

Couldn’t secure the ball in tight coverage, leading to an interception; great defensive play

George Kittle: 3 Catches, 34 Yards

He’s here for the same reason as Deebo: Purdy was definitely missing his boys last week. Not much to say here, Kittle and Deebo are both super talented.

Notes

Nice catch for 15 yards
Beautiful 19-yard catch in tight coverage between LB and S

Cameron Latu: 3 Catches, 42 Yards

Up until Trent Taylor made a desperate attempt to seal the game with the final play, Latu was the receiving leader of the night. He had short, medium, and deep passes as he displayed versatility as a pass catcher.

Notes

Caught all 3 of his targets
Perfectly placed ball for a deep catch for 24 yards

Missed Opportunities

Offensive holding penalty for 10 yards

Raiders

Quarterback

Nathan Peterman: 12/19, 108 Yards, TD | 3 Carries, 7 Yards

Slow to start, but heated up toward the end of the second half. Peterman showed great chemistry with his receivers, especially Khristian Wilkerson, who had multiple explosive gains and finished the drive with a touchdown.

Notes

Fought hard to gain 1 yard rather than take a sack for a loss
Showed accuracy with his passes, but the defense had good coverage
Spread the ball around to several players, but only for short passes

Missed Opportunities

3-and-out on his 1st drive

Carter Bradley: 9/21, 169 Yards, TD, INT | 1 Carry, 1 Yard

The biggest pro from his performance was his arm strength as he expressed a willingness to hit players down the field. However, when under pressure he had a difficult time making plays, which put an end to drives that otherwise could’ve been more promising.

Notes

Amazing 35-yard touchdown pass to Tyriek McCallister
Perfectly thrown pass for a 22-yard gain in tight coverage
Shows good arm talent and awareness in the pocket
Difficulty making plays under pressure

Missed Opportunities

3-and-out on his 2nd drive
Intercepted in the end zone

Running Back

Dylan Laube: 3 Carries, 12 Yards | 1 Catch, 6 Yards

Though he had okay awareness in short-yardage situations, Laube made some egregious errors. I understand that sometimes fumbles happen, but there should be no excuse for running into your own teammate to end a play. His awareness needs improvement moving forward.

Notes

Back-to-back touches: catch for 8 yards followed by a 3-yard run for a 1st down

Missed Opportunities

Lost a fumble after taking a hit from a defender
Ran into his own teammate, stopping what could’ve been a decent gain

Sincere McCormick: 5 Carries, 26 Yards | 2 Catches, 6 Yards

Rushing leader of the night with a 5.2 average yards per carry, paired with involvement in the passing game. McCormick was the best RB on this team tonight. Sure, Laube’s blusters made that easier to notice, but McCormick deserves recognition for holding down the fort.

Notes

Showed involvement in the passing game
Decent 10-yard run down the middle

Brittain Brown: 2 Carries, 7 Yards | 2 Catches, 32 Yards

Every team has 2-minute drill plays – and players. Brown was mostly quiet this game but shined within this brief window as he caught two passes for large gains and first downs.

Notes

Multiple targets in the 2-minute drill before halftime
2 catches for large gains (12 and 20 yards) with good yards after catch

Missed Opportunities

The ball bounced off him, should’ve been caught

Wide Receiver/Tight End

Tyriek McCallister: 2 Catches, 56 Yards, TD | 1 Carry, 7 Yards

This undrafted free agent had two touchdowns on the night, one on special teams and the other from a deep pass on offense, McCallister put his versatility on display as he made multiple dynamic plays to get into the endzone. He’s making a statement that he deserves a spot on this team.

Notes

Displayed his breakaway speed for an 81-yard punt return for a touchdown
Incredibly acrobatic and difficult catch and run for a 35-yard touchdown
Given a carry for 7-yards, reinforcing his versatility in this offense
21-yard pass in the 4th quarter

Khristian Wilkerson: 3 Catches, 35 Yards, TD

With the second-most targets on the team, Wilkerson was integral in moving the ball on a significant drive to give the Raiders their first lead of the night. The majority of his yardage was in the 2-minute drill before the half, and he showed up when his team needed him most.

Notes

Highly involved in the 2-minute drill before halftime: caught 2 passes for 14 and 18 yards respectively
Caught a laser thrown in tight coverage for a 3-yard touchdown

Jalen Guyton: 3 Catches, 19 Yards

I’m seeing a trend here: the majority of the Raiders WRs produced when the stakes were high, as three out of four of Guyton’s targets came within the last minute of the 2nd quarter. The Raiders need to make improvements in their passing attack, but clearly, they figured out how to get their guys involved during 2-minute drills.

Notes

Targeted twice in the red zone within the last 32 seconds of the half

Ramel Keyton: 4 Catches, 76 Yards

He was non-existent all night, but in the last drive, he had massive production by catching three passes for 54 yards in an attempt to take this game back. He is highly responsible for tying the game with 16 seconds left in the 4th quarter.

Notes