Tag: 49ers vs Titans

Where 49ers backup QB battle stands after preseason action begins

Here’s where things stand with the #49ers backup QB battle after Week 1 of the preseason.

To hear the San Francisco 49ers television broadcast tell it, there’s nothing more important on offense right now for the 49ers than the backup quarterback battle.

It could be argued that left tackle Trent Williams’ holdout and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk’s hold-in are bigger deals, but there’s nothing new on either front coming out of San Francisco’s preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans.

There is something new on the backup QB battle. The job appears to be Brandon Allen’s to lose.

Allen started Saturday’s game and completed 7-of-13 throws for 98 yards. Two of his best throws of the night were deep shots to wide receivers Tay Martin and Ronnie Bell, but neither receiver came down with the ball.

His advantage in knowing the offense shined as he worked the pocket and stepped into a couple of good second-level throws in the middle of the field to WRs Chris Conley and Frank Darby. It was a strong showing from the 31-year-old.

Dobbs entered in the second half and didn’t perform poorly, but it was also clear that he’s new in the offense. There were points where he was indecisive, and his accuracy was a little scattered.

All that said, it’s tough to truly evaluate Dobbs because the offensive line didn’t do a great job of giving him time to get comfortable. He never looked like he got in a rhythm which makes it tough for a QB to be consistent.

Dobbs showed off a strong arm when he did get time to set his feet and throw. He also made a good throw on the run on a designed rollout, and flashed his scrambling ability when he scored a six-yard rushing touchdown.

Both Allen and Dobbs could still win the backup job with a little less than three weeks until final cuts. They’ll have a handful of practices and two more preseason games to continue jockeying for position.

Exiting Saturday’s game, however, Allen is the clear frontrunner. Dobbs’ ceiling is probably higher which gives him a chance to eventually overtake Allen. Stability would be the priority for the 49ers if QB Brock Purdy was unavailable for any significant period though, and Allen is the one providing that as of the preseason opener.

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How to watch 49ers preseason opener vs. Titans

How to watch, stream and listen to the 49ers preseason opener.

The San Francisco 49ers will visit the Tennessee Titans on Saturday for their first preseason game on the 2024 slate.

It won’t look like the 49ers we’re used to seeing since a slew of starters will sit out the exhibition opener. With joint practices scheduled ahead of a Week 2 matchup against the Saints, we may not even see 49ers starters until Week 3.

Alas, there’s still plenty to look forward to Saturday evening at Nissan Stadium. There’ll be rookie performances worth keeping an eye on, position battles to monitor and new kickoff rules to take in.

There’s also the fact that there’s 49ers football being played again, a sign that we’re only a month out from the regular season opener on Monday, Sept. 9 against the New York Jets.

Before the regular season, the 49ers have to get through their preseason slate first.

Here’s a quick rundown of how to watch and listen to Saturday’s game in Nashville:

Kickoff: 4:00pm Pacific Time

Location: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tenn.

TV: KPIX 5

Free streaming: FuboTV

Radio: KGO 810 AM

The 49ers also stream the game on their app, but it’s only available for viewers in the Bay Area market.

NFL+ also offers a paid streaming option.

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49ers most interesting rookie to watch in preseason opener wasn’t even drafted

In his final season in the SEC, the undrafted rookie free agent running back set the Missouri single season rushing record with 1.627 yards on the ground.

Do you remember what the running back position looked like for the San Francisco 49ers prior to the arrival of Christian McCaffrey? Things were different, but by no means were they negative.

With the help of then run-game coordinator Mike McDaniel, Kyle Shanahan’s offense was quickly known for developing top-end talent without the star power. With the help of their running back-friendly scheme, Shanahan and the 49ers seemed to often find hidden gems who could carry the rock and get instant production. Players like Raheem Mostert, Elijah Mitchell and Matt Brieda all broke out and thrived in Shanahan’s offense.

While all eyes will be on McCaffrey again when the regular season starts in September, before we get there, Saturday’s preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans might provide a glimpse of yet another hidden gem in the San Francisco backfield.

Jordan Mason and Elijah Mitchell will likely battle for the No. 2 running back position, while rookie Isaac Guerendo and newly signed veteran Breida will also demand carries. However, with McCaffrey already ruled out of the preseason, and both Mitchell and Guerendo dealing with hamstring injuries, another back — possibly another hidden gem —  could be in line to make an impact on Saturday in Tennessee. Enter undrafted rookie free agent Cody Schrader.

After leading all of Division II in rushing with 2,074 yards at Truman in 2021, Schrader entered the transfer portal and walked on at Missouri. In his senior season, Schrader helped lead the Tigers to an 11-2 record with a No, 8 ranking and a win against Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.

On the way to the Cotton Bowl, Schrader broke the Missouri single-season rushing record with 1.627 yards. Schrader also punched in 14 touchdowns for the Tigers. Schrader finished his last six games with over 112 yards rushing in each game. Schrader helped torch Tennesse with 205 yards on the ground and 116 yards receiving.

Following a stellar campaign with Mizzou, Schrader was named First-Team AP All-American, First-Team All-SEC, a Doak Walker award finalist and he finished eighth in Heisman voting.

Despite his production in the most talented conference in college football, Schrader went undrafted. The undrafted free agent running back quickly landed with the 49ers — arguably one of the top destinations for a running back trying to prove themselves.

Schrader has thrived in Missouri’s zone scheme with coach Eliah Drinkwitz, while showing impressive vision, toughness, instinct and the contact balance to consistently break tackles at the SEC level. All things that could play in Shanahan’s system.

Schrader seems to already be generating some buzz from his time at training camp and now an impressive debut in the preseason could be what he needs to catapult himself into a position to lock up a roster spot in Santa Clara.

Via @Coach_Yac on Twitter:

While there will be questions about Schrader’s speed and athleticism, this is what the preseason, especially week one, is all about, giving players like him a chance to compete at the NFL and prove themselves another day.

Schrader will be a name to highlight on Saturday in the preseason. The 49ers will kick off against the Titans on Saturday at 4 p.m. PT.

This post originally appeared on Niners Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

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Play our FREE Week 17 49ers Challenge

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Ambry Thomas improving with more playing time

More playing time has been helpful for #49ers rookie CB Ambry Thomas.

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49ers rookie CB Ambry Thomas has seen his role expand since Emmanuel Moseley went down with an ankle injury. With Moseley likely out for the rest of the regular season, San Francisco needed one of their reserves to step up and Thomas has shown marked improvement since earning a start in Week 14 in Cincinnati.

While the 49ers’ defense faltered late in the team’s loss to the Titans on Thursday, Thomas had by far his best showing of the year. He was targeted five times and allowed just two catches for 42 yards and notched a pair of pass breakups per Pro Football Focus.

Thomas prior to Thursday allowed 13 catches on 15 targets for 250 yards with no pass breakups.

It’s clear the third-round pick is taking strides with his additional opportunities. His numbers in Week 13 weren’t good, and they were worse in Week 14 but his coverage was tighter in that one. He put it all together Thursday and combined good coverage with good ball skills and had the best game of his rookie year.

If Thomas can finish the year trending up, it puts the 49ers’ secondary in a much better spot going into next year when Jason Verrett and K’Waun Williams are both free agents. It’s also an indicator that playing time is helpful for young players who need to improve.

There’s a long way to go before Thomas can consistently be a good NFL starter, but his outings the last three weeks are a sign he’s on the right track to close his first season as a pro.

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4 takeaways from 49ers’ stumble in Tennessee

4 takeaways from the #49ers’ Thursday night stumble in Tennessee

The 49ers were rolling when they went to Tennessee on Thursday night to face the Titans. Consecutive wins over the Bengals and Falcons had them at 8-6 and eyeing a possible 11-win finish after their dismal start to the year. Then they stumbled in Nashville and dropped a tough one to the Titans 20-17.

So what happened to the once red-hot 49ers? We have a few takeaways:

49ers injury update following loss to Titans

Kyle Shanahan had injury updates after the #49ers’ loss to Tennessee.

While the 49ers suffered a bad loss to the Titans on Thursday night, they appear to have gotten through the game without many injuries. Different ailments can crop up in the hours after the contest, but in the immediate aftermath head coach Kyle Shanahan had only a handful of updates on banged up players.

The biggest issue after the game was with linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, who exited the contest with a knee injury and will undergo an MRI to determine the severity per Shanahan. Al-Shaair was questionable going into the game with an elbow injury, but now there’s a new ailment to keep track of going into the final two regular season games.

The other two injuries were to players who returned to the game.

Defensive lineman DJ Jones hurt his ankle and exited in the second quarter, but he was back on the field in the second half and finished the game.

Wide receiver Deebo Samuel had the wind knocked out of him during a tackle on his 56-yard catch that set up the game-tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter. He was good to re-enter as well.

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Observations from very, very bad 49ers loss to Titans

It doesn’t get a lot worse than that. Quarter-by-quarter observations from Thursday’s #49ers loss to the Titans.

The 49ers were in control Thursday night for most of the first half. Then the turnovers started, and the missed throws from Jimmy Garoppolo allowed the Titans to hang around. A 10-0 halftime lead evaporated into a 20-17 defeat at Nissan Stadium.

Our observations from each quarter:

Brandon Aiyuk TD catch ties game vs. Titans late

The #49ers got a late TD from Brandon Aiyuk to tie Thursday’s game vs. the Titans.

The 49ers offense struggled after jumping out to a 10-0 lead Thursday night. They trailed 17-10 late in the fourth quarter and took over at their own 5-yard line. It took them seven plays to go 95 yards, capped off by a two-yard touchdown pass from Jimmy Garoppolo to Brandon Aiyuk.

The big play on the drive though was a 56-yard catch-and-run from WR Deebo Samuel to set up the 49ers inside the Titans’ 10. They punched it in two plays later.

Jeff Wilson Jr. gets 49ers on board with TD vs. Titans

WATCH: The #49ers scored first Thursday night thanks to Jeff Wilson Jr.

The 49ers took the opening kick Thursday night and methodically churned out 75 yards in nine plays en route to a touchdown and an early 7-0 lead. Jeff Wilson Jr. got a first-and-goal carry from the 1 and punched it in to cap the drive and get San Francisco on the board.

Jimmy Garoppolo was excellent on the first series, completing all five of his throws for 59 yards.