The 49ers lost 21-10 to the Packers in their dress rehearsal for the regular season. It was a rough game for the 49ers in all phases. The offense was particularly bad, as the Niners really only had one sustained drive where quarterback Blaine Gabbert hit wide receiver Quinton Patton for a touchdown (statistically, it was a run). On a night that was much anticipated, the Niners didn't look particularly inspiring. It wasn't all bad, but it was awfully hard to see some good in what was easily Chip Kelly's worst preseason game as 49ers coach thus far.
Stock Up:
OLB Tank Carradine
Tank Carradine continued his strong preseason with another sack Friday night. He's been consistently getting to the quarterback and looks much quicker after he slimmed down this offseason. He seems to have won his competition with Eli Harold and should start come Week 1.
OLB Marcus Rush
Marcus Rush followed up his 3 sack effort against the Broncos last week with another sack against the Packers. He was a fringe player to start training camp but has solidified his spot on the Niners roster with his performance in the last 3 games.
CB Chris Davis
Yes. that Chris Davis. He has played primarily in the slot and has done an admirable job. He's also shown that he's not afraid to step up and make tackles, as he had a team-high 5 tackles Friday night.
LB Ray Ray Armstrong
Armstrong got the start on Friday ahead of Gerald Hodges and played extremely well. He had 4 tackles and was around the ball all night, including a tackle for loss. He should be the starter beside Navorro Bowman to begin the season.
Stock Down:
QB Colin Kaepernick
Kaepernick was bad, though people forget that Blaine Gabbert was just as bad in his first start of the preseason minus a touchdown to Vance McDonald on a broken play. Kaepernick looked unsettled in the pocket, hesitant to throw, too eager to run and pretty much the same as he left us last year. It was his first action in 10 months, so there's a chance he may improve, but he'll have to do it as the backup to Blaine Gabbert when the season starts. Oh, then there was this.
QB Christian Ponder
A week after Ponder went 7-8 with a touchdown pass and a touchdown run, he completed the same amount of passes to the other team as he did to his own. Ponder threw a bad interception along the sideline and seems like the odd man out with Jeff Driskel playing better this week.
WR Bruce Ellington
Ellington has a ton of potential, but he can't stay healthy. He left the game with yet another injury - this time a hamstring. He's yet to make a true impact, despite starting Training Camp as the slot receiver. The only thing keeping him on the team at this point is the lack of receiver depth behind him.
OLB Corey Lemonier
Lemonier has been passed up by Marcus Rush at outside linebacker, where incumbents Aaron Lynch (suspended for the first 4 games of the season), Ahmad Brooks, Tank Carradine, and Eli Harold will already be competing for snaps. Lemonier only has 1 sack after 3 years in the league. He notched 24.5 career sacks in 3 years at Auburn, but has never lived up to his draft status.
