LAS VEGAS — Brock Birdie and the 49ers’ offense showed a little more chemistry in San Francisco’s third regular season game on Friday, but it certainly wasn’t perfect.
Most of the first team was on the field for the three-game series against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium and put together some highlight-worthy plays, and they’ll be looking to repeat. After the preseason win over the New Orleans Saints, Purdy had George Kittle, DeBeau Samuel and JP Mason at his disposal.
Purdy opened his first drive with a 25-yard dart to Samuel, followed by a 15-yard completion to Kittle. Later, the drive stalled after Mason faced a five-yard loss, followed by two birdie incompletions — one to Mason and the other to Kittle on a pass by the tight end.
The 49ers’ second drive was reminiscent of the 2023 season when Birdie and Co. were unstoppable. The 12-play, 85-yard drive included more offense with completions from Jake Tongues and Kittle and Mason and rookie running back Isaac Kurendo, who returned to the practice field this week.
Purdy showed his own ability to elude defenders with a 14-yard run to keep the drive alive. Mason finished the series with a four-yard touchdown run and when the sophomore returned to the sideline, running backs coach Bobby Turner gave Mason a pat on the back and a “good job.”
Birdie’s third and final drive started well with a 15-yard pass to Chris Conley, followed by a five-yard completion to Samuels that resulted in a Birdie sack for some runs by Mason. The third-year quarterback’s ill-advised pass to Samuels dunked in the air and was intercepted by Raiders safety Chris Smith II and returned 31 yards.
Overall, the 49ers’ offense was more coherent than it was last week, but still has a lot of work to do before their Week 1 matchup with the New York Jets on “Monday Night Football.” Purdy completed 9 of 16 pass attempts for 96 passing yards and one interception with a 63.2 rating.
Fullback Kyle Juszczyk (rest), Christian McCaffrey (calf), wide receivers Javon Jennings (oblique), Brandon Iuk and left tackle Trent Williams are all missing from the lineup. Their earnings will help the team return to the well-oiled machine that fans have seen from the group in the past.
Even with a few offensive linemen out of the game, the success of the running backs’ rushing attack is a positive development. Friday night’s starting lineup included: Jaylen Moore at left tackle, Nick Sagelge at left guard, Jack Brendel at center, Dominic Bunie at right guard and Colton McGewitz at right tackle.
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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