The 49ers closed the preseason with an 18-12 win over the Raiders in Las Vegas, but the night was less about the scoreboard and more about who helped themselves - and who didn’t.
Mac Jones never found a rhythm. He was on the field for only two series, and his receivers weren’t giving him much to work with.
Jones finished 1 of 5 passing for yards and posted a 39.6 passer rating. The 49ers pulled him before he had much chance to do anything useful, turning the offense over to Adrian Martinez.
Martinez made a few decent plays, but he is not going to make the 53-man roster, nor should he. The bigger frustration, from the source’s view, is how much preseason time went to a practice-squad quarterback who has no future with the team or in the NFL.
It also didn’t help that Kurtis Rourke broke three ribs on a quarterback draw near the goal line in the preseason opener. Rourke had looked like someone who could be Brock Purdy’s top backup next year once Jones is gone.
The running backs gave the 49ers more to like. Jordan James made his preseason debut and produced 55 yards from scrimmage on nine touches.
He looked quick, caught the ball well and ran without hesitation, which made him look like a solid all-around backup. Kaelon Black was the most explosive runner on the field, even if he was not targeted in the passing game and missed a key block on one of Jones’ deep incompletions.
Black still flashed in a big way on the ground, finishing with 28 yards on four carries. The source made clear that, in pure explosiveness, he stands out on this roster, even compared with Christian McCaffrey, who has lost a step with age.
At wide receiver, the night was ugly. Jordan Watkins was given a chance against the Raiders’ starters and came away with just one catch on three targets for 5 yards.
He was targeted deep twice and did little to separate either time. On one of those throws, he didn’t even turn his head to locate the ball.
Even so, he was described as the 49ers’ best receiver in the game, which says plenty about how the rest of that group performed. None of them were running good routes, and the 49ers were said to badly need De’Zhaun Stribling to stay healthy and put up 1,000 yards this season.
There were a few bright spots in the tight end room. Hayden Rucci recorded two first downs and had a touchdown catch wiped out because of a low block by Jordan James. If the 49ers keep four tight ends, Rucci should be the fourth one, not Brayden Willis, who left early with a concussion.
Up front, the 49ers ran the ball effectively and gave up just one sack, which is notable even with the Raiders described as terrible. The offensive line held up well despite missing most of its starters.
The defensive line had a rougher night. Alfred Collins and CJ West were repeatedly moved off the ball in the run game, and the defense looked better whenever they were out of the lineup.
Both were said to be out of shape, unable to anchor or shed blocks. Collins, especially, is supposed to be a starter, and the 49ers cannot afford to have him playing this way.
Keion White was the best healthy defensive lineman who played, and he got a sack on Fernando Mendoza by driving the center backward. Ogbo Okoronkwo also got to Mendoza and, according to the source, has done enough to make the team.
At linebacker, Tatum Bethune stood out with 9 tackles and an interception. Rookie Jaden Dugger led the team with 10 tackles and added two quarterback hits, though he also missed two tackles he should have made. He remains a work in progress with plenty of upside, but he is viewed as more comfortable playing outside linebacker roles - setting the edge, dropping into coverage and blitzing - than as an inside linebacker trying to handle runs between the tackles.
In the secondary, Ashtyn Davis started at safety, missed a tackle and was judged not worthy of making the roster. Siran Neal played well at cornerback in the first half despite a pass-interference flag that the source called bogus.
Jack Jones added another pass breakup, something he does often, and is expected to start Week 1 if Renardo Green is still out with a hamstring injury. Rookie Ephesians Prysock left with a shoulder injury and was quickly ruled out, which did not sound promising.
Eddy Pineiro was perfect, hitting all six of his field-goal attempts, including a 59-yarder. The source went as far as calling him one of the five best players on the roster, and said the 49ers would not have made the playoffs last season without him.
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