Preseason Game 1 Review: Packers @ 49ers

By Scooter_McG 

49ers football is back! The 49ers first preseason game of 2022 is now in the books, with the 49ers coming away with the victory 28-21 (for whatever a win in preseason is worth). 

Of course, all eyes were on Trey Lance in this one as he takes over the starting QB job in 2022.  Lance played the 49ers first two drives, leading the team to a FG in their first drive and a quick-fire TD in the second drive. On the first drive Lance looked fairly comfortable and decisive, but two of his three throws on the drive were off target (albeit one of the errant throws was still caught by Dwelley) with the last one to Gray on an out route also being a little late. But he showed good pocket awareness throughout the drive and smartly tucked the ball under quick pressure from the outside to set up a 3rd and 1 on the second play of the drive. 

The second drive was by far the more memorable. After a sack courtesy of a big whiff in protection by Skule, followed by a quick hitter to Sermon for a short gain, Lance ripped off a perfect pass down the left sideline that travelled more than 40 yards through the air to hit Danny Gray perfectly in stride for a 76 yard TD. All in all Lance would finish the day 4-5 for 92 yards and the TD, plus a 7 yard run, in a promising first outing.   

Aside from Lance, some other key things I took away from the game were - noting I paid far closer attention to the first half than the second when the bottom of the roster guys were on the field:

• The interior of the OL has been a big question mark throughout the offseason. But the starting combination of Banks, Brendel and Burford did a decent job keeping Lance clean and providing some space up the middle for the RB. It wasn't perfect, but the group definitely passed their first test. Of the backups along the interior, Jason Poe was the standout, demonstrating power to move his man and nice athleticism when asked to pull. 
• However, the OTs (with Williams not playing) had their struggles against both the pass and the run. In the first few drives any time there was pressure or a blown block in the running game, it was usually one of the OTs at fault. The good news for the 49ers is that it was mostly the backups that struggled and it should look a lot better with Williams at LT. 
• With Deebo and Aiyuk sitting out, Ray Ray McCloud and Danny Gray saw a lot of action in the first half and appeared to be in on more plays than Jauan Jennings who may be slipping down the pecking order. Both Ray Ray and Gray had a number of good plays during the half, including a TD each, though McCloud did also have a costly fumble at the end of the half that took an opportunity at a FG off the table. 
• At RB, with Mitchell and Wilson sitting, Trey Sermon got the start ahead of Ty Davis-Price. Neither player stood out, though Sermon did have some decent runs in the opening drive. His stats look a lot worse than his play warranted courtesy of a couple of plays being blown up through missed blocking assignments. The running game loosened up a bit in the second half, but that is to be expected. 
• One thing that stood out though was the team focused on running between the tackles rather than outside, and on the few occasions they did try to get outside they weren't able to do so. This has been a concern of mine and through one preseason game it remains a concern. 
• Sudfeld looked competent as the backup QB, taking what the defense gave him and generally making good reads. It wasn't anything dynamic, but he did enough to make you think if he is needed to step in for a game or two he could keep the team competitive. Purdy also looked the part but in a different way - he held the ball longer but showed nice ability to improvise and extend plays to find the open player.  
• Aside from the first drive, the 49ers defense struggled to stop the Packers offense from moving the ball in the first half. However, they did come away with a lot of turnovers. 
• For the most part the defensive line didn't generate a lot of pressure. But Drake Jackson was probably the pick of the bunch getting after Jordan Love and he made his presence felt a few times. Hopefully the shoulder injury he sustained after chasing Love down to the sideline is only minor, as he looked to have something. 
• I thought Kinlaw also looked good in his return from knee surgery. Powerful, quick and active that proved a handful for the OL on every snap. 
• All three of the 49ers starting LBs sat this one out. But Flannigan-Fowles, Burks and McCrary-Ball filled in admirably for the most part and each had opportunities to show off their athleticism. 
• With both starting CBs sitting out, it was Ambry Thomas and Ka'Dar Hollman starting with Demo Lenoir rotating in, while Dontae Johnson didn't play much until the second half. Hollman had a number of nice plays but also gave up a TD near the end of the half where he failed to locate the ball and stick with his receiver. Thomas was rarely tested but did give up one penalty for contact. The competition at CB behind Ward and Moseley is still in full swing. 
• Dennard may be the current starter at slot CB, but if Womack keeps playing like he did then it won't be long before he is the starter. He displayed sticky coverage and came away with two INTs - the first came as a result of fighting for the ball in the air and the other due to good awareness to undercut the route over the middle. 
• The likely winner in the battle between Moore and Hufanga to start at SS next to Jimmie Ward did not become any clearer, with neither player really standing out. Hufanga did have one nice hit on a running back, while Moore was easily burned for a TD when asked to to play press man against the slot WR in a cover-0 defense (a very tough ask), but overall neither player seemed to gain or lose ground in the battle.