MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — It was a lackluster night at U.S. Bank stadium for the 49ers' second preseason game but they came away with a 17-7 win over the Minnesota Vikings.
The 49ers kept most of their starters off of the field with 31 players not dressing for the contest after two extensive joint practices with the Vikings on Wednesday and Thursday. This allowed players lower on the depth chart time to compete for a roster spot.
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It took the Kyle Shanahan and his offense a while to get things rolling but they did end up dominating the stat sheet as quarterback Nate Sudfeld finished the night 13 of 17 for 102 yards and threw one touchdown, giving him a 110.4 passer rating.
Rookie quarterback Brock Purdy completed 14 of his 23 attempts for 128 yards and a 76.0 passer rating.
All players will suit up for their final dress rehearsal with the Houston Texans on Thursday night at NRG Stadium.
Here are four takeaways from Saturday night’s game:
D-Line will lead to success
The 49ers defensive line looks nearly ready for Week 1 and Javon Kinlaw is going to be a big part of the lineup. The third-year defensive tackle rotated in on the formidable front for the first half of Saturday’s contest and showed that when he is healthy, he can be very difficult to stop.
Rookie Drake Jackson also saw quite a bit of playing time facing the Vikings offense and had a visible impact on the game. The USC pass rusher recorded three total tackles and swatted down a Kellen Mond pass that was part of the 49ers' defense forcing a three-and-out situation in the third quarter.
The depth in this group is remarkable. Without Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead, Samson Ebukam, Kevin Givens, and Kerry Hyder among others not on the field, the group still controlled the line of scrimmage.
San Francisco 49ers
Offensive line is a work-in-progress
While the defensive line looks nearly ready to go, the players on the other side of the ball still have some work to do. There were several offensive linemen who sat out of Saturday's game, including Trent Williams, Mike McGlinchey, Jake Brendel and Colton McKivitz, which definitely had its effect on the production of the offense.
The run game was slow to start and it wasn’t until deep into the third quarter that Ty Davis-Price seemed to get the ground game moving. Coach Kyle Shanahan did not gameplan for this preseason contest, which also had an impact.
Trey Sermon, who registered five carries for eight yards, was the primary ball carrier in the first half when the offense seemed to struggle the most.
Taking pressure of Trey Lance, offense
Without Charvarius Ward, Emmanuel Moseley, Talanoa Hufanga, Jimmie Ward and Dontae Johnson on the field, the secondary was still very competitive. Safeties George Odum and Tayler Hawkins snagged interceptions and the rest of the defensive backs did not allow any explosive plays.
Linebackers Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw and Azeez Al-Shaair all sat out, with Demetrius Flanagan-Fowles, Marcelino McCrary-Ball and Oren Burks holding down the middle of the field.
Some cleaning up to do
There were four pre-snap penalties in the first half alone and several dropped passes. The 49ers don't have much time before traveling to Houston to get a lot of practice in but they will have 17 days to prepare for Week 1 after they return to Santa Clara.
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The 49ers will need the officiating crew that works their practices to stay on top of the players as they prepare for Week 1.