49ers tie Raiders to finish preseason 1-1-1: Rapid reactions

The San Francisco 49ers finished the preseason with as many losses (and ties) as they had wins. After losing the first game and winning the second game, the 49ers tied the Las Vegas Raiders 24-24 on Friday night. That's a rare 1-1-1 record. But the preseason record doesn't matter much, if any.

Here are my rapid reactions to the game as it unfolded. These are the things I liked and didn't like (such as a pair of injuries).

• Isaac Guerendo has some burst. He showed some good things in this game. I like his combination of size and speed.
• Brock Purdy looks better when he has Deebo Samuel and George Kittle. That's to be expected.

• Purdy was sharp, even in the face of a lot of pressure. More on his offensive line below.

• Is Jacob Cowing going to be the punt returner? I'd rather see him back there than Trent Taylor or Ronnie Bell.
• Jordan Mason should be RB2. He is a beast.
• The 49ers offensive line, however, is another story. They're not good when they have Trent Williams. They're even worse without him.
• Kittle looks ready for the regular season.

• Seeing Leonard Floyd go down makes me hate preseason games even more.
• 49ers defense is missing too many tackles.
• Ji'Ayir Brown looks like he's going to have a breakout season.
• The 49ers have been searching for an edge rusher to complement Nick Bosa since 2019. They signed Floyd, who rarely misses games, and he's already hurt with a knee injury. The 49ers have terrible luck at that position, beyond Bosa. Floyd should've sat out the game. He is 31 years old. He doesn't need preseason games.
• Yetur Gross-Matos injured his knee, as well. Hopefully, neither injury is serious.
• Brayden Willis is still making too many mistakes.
• 49ers special teams coverage continues to need work. Maybe they'll be better in the regular season.
• Cowing and Guerendo may both score on special teams this season.

• Cam Latu had his best game. Good to see. I don't know if he'll make the team, but I hope the 49ers don't lose him. He's a project with a lot of potential.
• Kittle liked what he saw from Latu. You could see him get fired up on the sideline after one of Latu's catches.
• Brandon Parker is not very good.
• Neither is Colton McKivitz.

• Bell had a nice punt return. But I still don't trust him back there.
• Cowing is going to be fun to watch.

• Josh Dobbs is QB2. Maybe that's not how it unfolds, but it looks like Dobbs has outplayed Brandon Allen, at least in the preseason.

• The 49ers have some nice-looking rookies. If this class can be a really good one, that will be huge for the 49ers down the road.
• Tough break for Tay Martin who made a great catch and fumbled on the same play. That won't help his already slim chance of making the team.
• Evan Anderson has played well. He won't make the 53-man roster, but I'd like to see him on the practice squad.
• Darrell Luter, Jr. does not lack confidence. And for good reason. He can play. He still makes too many mistakes, but he's young and missed a lot of time as a rookie last year.

• 49ers with a late lead in Vegas. Now, where have I seen this before?
• That throw by Tanner Mordecai on the third-to-last play was impressive. I'd like to see the 49ers be able to hang on to the rookie QB.
• I can't believe that final play almost worked. The penalty would have negated it, but that was insane. Thankfully, there's no overtime in the preseason.

• I hated the Raiders-heavy broadcast I had to watch on NFL Network. And Rich Gannon talks way too much.

The final score doesn't matter. Escaping without major injury is the biggest achievement in the preseason. Hopefully, the 49ers were able to do that. Next up, Monday Night Football on September 9th against the New York Jets.

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