SANTA CLARA–After winning their first preseason matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, the San Francisco 49ers’ played their preseason home-opener Saturday evening at Levi’s Stadium against the Denver Broncos.
The Broncos arrived in town earlier this week as the two sides squared off in joint practices on Wednesday and Thursday, before taking to the field on Saturday night for the second exhibition contest of the fall.
Though Denver sat a significant number of its regulars, the 49ers still had an opportunity to show off their new look under head coach Kyle Shanahan against a number of the Broncos’ regulars.
Here are our observations of the 49ers’ starting units
- The ingenuity Shanahan was expected to bring to San Francisco’s offense was on display on Saturday, especially on the 49ers’ passing concepts. Shanahan will clearly be able to use play-action to the 49ers’ advantage this season, and he kept Denver’s defensive front guessing on a handful of plays in the first quarter. A few of the play-action concepts were able to buy quarterback Brian Hoyer extra time, and when Hoyer is able to see the field clearly, he’s a good decision-maker. Hoyer hit a particularly impressive 22-yard pass to Marquise Goodwin on a play-action play that the 49ers completed in front of Aqib Talib that was perhaps the most impressive passing play for the first-team offense.
- When Hoyer has time to throw, he’s a solid fit for Shanahan’s offense because he’s accurate and has the arm strength to hit on Shanahan’s intermediate-to-deep passing concepts. And for the most part, the 49ers’ offensive line did an admirable job giving Hoyer a clean pocket to work with. There were a few plays Hoyer would probably like to take back from Saturday’s game, including a costly turnover on a play in which Hoyer simply lost his grip on the football when he cocked his arm back to throw. That’s a type of error you see from much younger players, or a quarterback trying to force things, but there’s plenty of reason to believe that play was nothing more than an aberration for Hoyer who demonstrated he’s a capable engineer of the 49ers’ offense.
- The Hoyer-Goodwin connection is real, and one the 49ers should be able to exploit even against many of the better defenses they face this season. Goodwin is lightning quick and moves in and out of his breaks well, and the two have a mutual chemistry that should continue to grow stronger as the season progresses.
- Eric Reid was the best player on the field while both teams had their top units out there on Saturday. Reid thrived in his strong safety role, and is obviously comfortable playing closer to the line of scrimmage. Reid dissects plays well, and is rarely out of position. When he makes his reads, he never hesitates, and he’s an obvious asset to a 49ers’ defense that looked relatively fast against Denver’s offense.
- The 49ers’ might have something in Lorenzo Jerome, an undrafted free agent safety out of St. Francis in Pennsylvania. There’s a lot to like about Jerome’s football I.Q, and like Reid, he sees the field and understands his responsibilities well. San Francisco is going to keep a lot of undrafted free agents on its 53-man roster, and Jerome could be a steal if he continues to develop.
- For as strong as the 49ers’ offensive line was in pass protection with its first unit, it didn’t shift the line of scrimmage forward in the run game. Starting tailback Carlos Hyde didn’t have a lot of room to work with, and Hyde appeared hesitant at times. It’s my first time seeing Hyde live this fall, so it’s definitely a small sample size, and Hyde has impressed during much of training camp. Still, if the 49ers’ are going to be able to take full advantage of Shanahan’s abilities as a play-caller, they’ll need a stronger rushing attack.
- A few defenders had up-and-down performances, including cornerback Rashard Robinson and defensive tackle Earl Mitchell. Robinson was beat on an open field tackle attempt early in the game, and then committed a pass interference at the goal line that cost the 49ers. He recovered later with a sharp tackle on a third down stop, and he also went stride-for-stride with Demaryius Thomas on a deep route that resulted in an incomplete pass. Mitchell, meanwhile, was tossed around at the line of scrimmage on a few occasions, but also showed a strong burst and lit up Paxton Lynch on one play when he busted through the line. Ultimately, the 49ers will need more consistency from these two players, but they did have a few encouraging plays.
- San Francisco fans are going to fall in love with fullback Kyle Juszcyzk. First off, all football fans love fullbacks. To help Juszcyzk’s case, he’s a bruiser with an ability to create mismatches for the 49ers’ offense. Shanahan can deploy his fullback in a variety of creative fashions, and he’s a joy to watch when he has the ball in his hands. On one 21-yard reception, Juszcyzk sidestepped a defender and then attempted to bulldoze his way through another.
- It was a relatively quiet night for rookie linebacker Reuben Foster, but his speed to the edge is an asset for San Francisco’s front seven. Foster didn’t have perfect run fits, but he did fly to the perimeter of the field to force a Broncos’ tailback out of bounds on a short passing play that showcased Foster’s ability to anticipate plays as they develop.
- The 49ers’ first units, and particularly their special teams units, were sloppy for much of the first half. San Francisco committed multiple special teams penalties, and also turned the ball over on special teams after a Denver punt bounced off the calf of Jaquiski Tartt.
- Denver scored 20 points off of four 49ers’ turnovers, two of which Hoyer was responsible for. The lone interception that Hoyer tossed bounced off the hands of Goodwin, and the 49ers did a good job to hold Denver to a field goal. Still, the turnovers had to be frustrating for a San Francisco offense that should have an easier time scoring points this season.
- Tim Hightower fumbled midway through the second quarter after San Francisco had already committed three turnovers. It came at a point in the game when the 49ers were beginning to build offensive momentum, and stunted a drive that involved a few of the first unit’s best run plays.
