49ers newcomers shine in 28-21 preseason win over Packers

The spotlight was on quarterback Trey Lance heading into Friday night's preseason opener for the San Francisco 49ers, but it was a slew of newcomers that stole the show in a 28-21 win over the Green Bay Packers.

Not that Lance didn't deliver in his limited opportunities. Lance played on two possessions in the game and led the 49ers to 10 first quarter points, completing 4-of-5 passes for 92 yards while also rushing once for seven yards. But with a number of starters on the sidelines for the duration of the game, several rookies stood out in the win for the 49ers, including wide receiver Danny Gray, who had two catches for 99 yards and one touchdown, and cornerback Samuel Womack, who had two interceptions, while free agent addition Ray-Ray McCloud chipped in with four catches for 63 yards and one touchdown. Rookie quarterback Brock Purdy also added a fourth quarter touchdown pass for the 49ers, while undrafted linebacker Marcelino McCrary-Ball chipped in with an interception and rookie defensive end Drake Jackson impressed before leaving the game early with a shoulder injury.

How It Happened - First Half

The Packers opened the game with possession and were held to a three-and-out, which was followed by a nine-play, 39-yard scoring drive by the 49ers. Lance was 2-for-3 passing for 11 yards on the drive, while Lance and running back Trey Sermon combined for 16 rushing yards on five carries. The drive ended with a 50-yard field goal by kicker Robbie Gould to give the 49ers a 3-0 lead.

The Packers responded on the following possession with an eight-play, 80-yard drive that led to a 33-yard touchdown pass from Jordan Love to wide receiver Romeo Doubs to give the Packers a 7-3 lead. The pass came on a 4th-and-2 at the 49ers' 33-yard line when Doubs slipped behind safety Tarvarius Moore for the score.

Lance's evening came to an end on the next possession, but not before putting together a highlight play. After a sack on first down and a completion to Sermon on second down to set up a 3rd-and-9, Lance lofted a pass down the sidelines to Gray, who hauled it in and ran downfield for a 76-yard touchdown. The play gave the 49ers a 10-7 lead with just over four minutes to play in the first quarter.

There were more fireworks on the next possession, starting with a 51-yard kickoff return from Amari Rodgers to give the Packers possession at the 49ers' 46-yard line. The Packers moved downfield in six plays to set up a 1st-and-Goal, but the 49ers flipped the field when McCrary-Ball caught a deflected pass off the hands of tight end Tyler Davis and weaved in and out of the Packers offense for a 57-yard return.

The 49ers needed just six seconds to put the ball in the end zone after McCrary-Ball's interception. Backup quarterback Nate Sudfeld entered the game as the second quarter got underway, and on the first play of the possession Sudfeld connected with McCloud, who juked his defender to get wide open in the end zone for a 39-yard touchdown and a 17-7 lead.

The 49ers notched their second turnover of the game on the following possession when Womack came down with a loose ball while in coverage on Romeo Doubs. Officials called the pass to Doubs a completion on the field, but instant replay confirmed that Doubs never had possession before the ball landed in the arms of Womack.

The Packers held the 49ers to a three-and-out after the interception, then Womack's big quarter continued when he snagged his second pick in as many possessions to halt a drive that had moved into 49ers territory. Womack returned the interception 50 yards to give the 49ers possession at the Packers' 16-yard line, setting up a 31-yard field goal from Gould to give the 49ers a 20-7 lead.

Just over three minutes remained on the clock when the Packers took over on the next possession, which resulted in a nine-play, 75-yard drive that finished with a 33-yard touchdown pass from Love to wide receiver Danny Davis. The 49ers helped the Packers with a defensive holding penalty on third down early in the drive, then Love and Davis connected with 42 seconds left in the half to cut the 49ers' lead to 20-14.

The 49ers put together a six-play, 61-yard drive before the half that was stopped when McCloud fumbled the ball to the Packers at the Packers' 30-yard line. The Packers ran out the clock from there to end the half.

Second Half

The pace slowed in the third quarter, starting with a three-and-out to open the half from the 49ers. The Packers then quickly put themselves in scoring range when quarterback Danny Etling connected with BJ Baylor for a 68-yard gain on the third play of their possession, but their drive fizzled after seven plays when kicker Gabe Brkic missed from 32 yards to leave the score at 20-14.

The missed field goal was followed by three punts, the first coming from the 49ers after a seven-play possession that featured a 13-yard run from JaMycal Hasty and a 10-yard run from rookie Ty Davis-Price. The teams exchanged three-and-outs after the first punt before the Packers took possession as the third quarter came to a close.

The Packers found life on offense as the fourth quarter got underway, moving deep inside 49ers territory after a 25-yard run from Dexter Williams and a 12-yard reception from receiver Samori Toure. The drive was capped with a touchdown after six plays when Etling found Rodgers for a 22-yard strike to put the Packers up 21-20 with just under 13 minutes remaining in the game.

Purdy took over at quarterback for the 49ers on the next possession and got things going with a 22-yard third down completion to tight end Tanner Hudson to move the ball across midfield. A combination of runs from Hasty and Davis-Price and a nine-yard completion to wide receiver Austin Mack set the 49ers up with a 1st-and-Goal from the 7-yard line, then Purdy and Hudson connected again on a 3rd-and-Goal from five yards out to give the 49ers a 26-21 lead. Purdy then found wide receiver KeeSean Johnson for a successful two-point conversion to give the 49ers a 28-21 lead with 7:58 left in the game.

The 49ers forced a turnover on downs on the Packers' possession after nine plays, then took over at their own 43-yard line with 4:25 left to play. A series of runs from rookie running back Jordan Mason moved the ball inside the 25-yard line, then a third-down defensive pass interference call gave the 49ers a 1st-and-Goal at the 8-yard line with two minutes left in the game. Purdy kneeled on the ball from there to seal the win for the 49ers.

Love finished with 176 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions for the Packers, while Sudfeld led 49ers quarterbacks with 103 yards and one touchdown with zero interceptions. Purdy finished with 36 yards and a touchdown on 3-of-6 passing.

Did not play: Among those to sit out tonight's game for the 49ers were wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk; linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair; defensive lineman Arik Armstead; defensive lineman Nick Bosa; defensive lineman Samson Ebukam; quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo; linebacker Dre Greenlaw; fullback Kyle Juszczyk; tight end George Kittle; running back Elijah Mitchell; offensive lineman Jaylon Moore; cornerback Emmanuel Moseley; defensive lineman Charles Omenihu; cornerback Charvarius Ward; safety Jimmie Ward; linebacker Fred Warner; offensive tackle Trent Williams; and running back Jeff Wilson.

Next up: Game 2 of the 49ers' preseason schedule takes place on Saturday, August 20 on the road against the Minnesota Vikings (7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT). The preseason schedule comes to an end five days later when the 49ers travel to Houston to take on the Texans on August 25 (8:15 p.m. ET/5:15 p.m. PT).

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