The San Francisco 49ers started preseason with a 27-17 win over the Kansas City Chiefs, here we look at three takeaways from the game.
After struggling early on, the San Francisco 49ers produced a second-half turnaround to win their preseason opener with the Kansas City Chiefs, 27-17. The 49ers’ first-string had difficulties on both sides of the ball in a sloppy start and head coach Kyle Shanahan will certainly be looking for improvements against the Denver Broncos.
But C.J. Beathard led a fight back with the third-string. Here we look at three takeaways from the victory.
3. 49ers have red done issues
San Francisco struggled inside the 20-yard line on both sides of the ball. On the two trips second-string quarterback Matt Barkley made to the red zone, the Niners failed to score each time. Beathard did throw a touchdown pass in the red zone as he found Tyler McCloskey for the decisive score, but Shanahan will not have been satisfied with how the 49ers performed near the goal line.
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Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh will be asking for more from his defense in the red zone after Spencer Ware was able to power his way in as the Chiefs scored on their first drive of the game. Patrick Mahomes also converted a red zone scoring opportunity for Kansas City.
2. Rashard Robinson will be Feast or Famine
For all the expectation surrounding cornerback Rashard Robinson, it is easy to forget he is only in his first year and that the 49ers are placing a lot on his shoulders as the presumptive No. 1 cornerback on the team. The Chiefs picked on Robinson early, Tyreek Hill beating him for a deep reception on the opening drive while Chris Conley was also able to shake him for a sizable gain.
Robinson also badly missed a tackle down in the red zone, but bounced back from his early struggles to pick off Tyler Bray, showing off his instincts to drive on the ball and make the interception.
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He is far from the quickest but his size, feel for the game and natural ability in coverage should see Robinson make further strides in 2017. However, they won’t come without some difficult games for the former LSU corner.
1. Solomon Thomas and Aaron Lynch are as advertised
Robinson’s interception was caused in part by pressure from third overall pick Solomon Thomas, who received an extensive workload and enjoyed an excellent debut.
Thomas has received positive early reviews in camp and his power and quickness made him a constant thorn in the side of the Chiefs’ backup offensive linemen. It would be no surprise were he to be bumped up to the first string for Niners home preseason opener with the Denver Broncos next weekend after his highly impressive start.
And another player who made a compelling case for some playing time with the starters having been the recipient of praise for his efforts in training camp was Aaron Lynch. The Chiefs reserve tackles were no match for Lynch who, slimmed down having lost 30 pounds this offseason — per Niners Nation — after struggling with weight issues and injury in 2016, looked rejuvenated as he recorded two sacks in an extremely impressive showing.
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The Niners may want more from their starters after a quiet start in terms of generating pressure, but Thomas and Lynch have already offered evidence suggest they could be in for strong campaigns.