The San Francisco 49ers opened their preseason campaign with a comeback win over the Dallas Cowboys. Here we look at three big takeaways from the victory.
The San Francisco 49ers made a winning start to presason as they produced a late comeback to beat the Dallas Cowboys.
However, the victory may have come at a cost.
San Francisco suffered injuries to several players, losing four likely key 2018 contributors in the first quarter, leaving the Niners facing an anxious wait to find out the severity of those sustained by two of their brightest offensive talents.
Yet there were still plenty of positives for the 49ers to take from the triumph, here we assess three of the main takeaways from Thursday’s exhibition.
Injuries cast a significant shadow
In the first quarter, the 49ers lost Malcolm Smith, George Kittle, Solomon Thomas and Matt Breida to injury, and Garry Gilliam and Eli Harold soon followed them in heading to the sideline.
Thomas and Gilliam left with concussion symptoms while Harold’s injury was described as a lower leg issue by head coach Kyle Shanahan.
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Smith injured his hamstring in the opening few plays and, given his importance to the 49ers during Reuben Foster’s two-game suspension, it seems unlikely San Francisco will risk him much more in the preseason.
The more serious injuries concern Kittle and Breida, who were each removed from the game with shoulder issues. Shanahan believes both will miss “some time” but could not provide further detail.
Any extended absence for Kittle or Breida would not derail the 49ers offense but would be a significant blow. Kittle’s athleticism and prowess in the red zone make him a dynamic threat at tight end while Breida is expected to be a significant contributor as a complement to Jerick McKinnon in the backfield.
Staying healthy is the biggest challenge of training camp and preseason. The 49ers already knew that, but were provided a painful reminder on Thursday.
Deep defensive line shines
What was disappointing about the injury to Thomas was that it came in a game where he looked like the pass rusher the 49ers hope he can be.
Thomas cleaned up a pressure from DeForest Buckner to sack Dak Prescott and was injured on a play where he bull-rushed a left tackle as the pocket collapsed around Cooper Rush.
His injury was more of a freak accident as he was inadvertently kicked in the head by Sheldon Day, and the 49ers can still be very encouraged by what they saw from Thomas and the rest of what is a deep defensive line.
Buckner was his usual disruptive self in limited snaps while Day also had success generating penetration.
This was a game in which the 49ers continued investment in the defensive side of the trenches appeared vindicated as D.J. Jones and rookie Jullian Taylor also caught the eye, the latter’s outstanding performance following a theme of the evening.
Seventh-rounders steal the show
Jullian Taylor played snaps in all four quarters, displaying both power and quickness as he started at the big end position in place of the injured Arik Armstead.
Demonstrating excellent pad level as he consistently won the leverage battle with opposing linemen, Taylor broke into the Cowboys backfield with regularity, with his key fourth-quarter sack just reward for an excellent display.
He was not the only seventh-rounder to impress, however, as Richie James caught the winning touchdown pass from Nick Mullens with 18 seconds remaining at the end of an impressive drive, showing the toughness to hold on to the ball as he was hit by two Cowboys defenders in the end zone.
James has shone during camp, and his speed and quickness in space were apparent in a debut that saw him catch four passes for 46 yards.
The 49ers’ wide receiver room is crowded, but James’ showing was another feather in his cap as he attempts to make the 53-man roster.