49ers vs. Colts: 5 things to watch from San Francisco during preseason bout

The San Francisco 49ers visit the Indianapolis Colts for Week 3 of preseason football. With this being as close a rehearsal for the regular season as possible, here are five things you'll want to watch during the contest.

NFL preseasons look nothing like the regular season. But if there's anything close to the resemblance, it's the third week of exhibition games.

For the San Francisco 49ers, this event will take place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis against the Colts on Saturday, Aug. 25 at 4:30 p.m. ET. As is the case with most teams' Week 3 preseason bouts, one would expect head coach Kyle Shanahan to play the vast majority of his starters for the first half, or thereabouts. This is important for a number of reasons. Certain units, such as the offensive line, take time to jell. The more in-game, padded reps, the better. Additionally, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo can continue working on his rapport with his receiving targets, looking to build upon his solid one drive-plus in Houston against the Texans last week.

Garoppolo's on-field abilities aren't much of a concern, however. By the best of accounts, he and the passing game will be just fine. There are, however, a number of other areas fans will want to pay attention to when the game kicks off and throughout.

Let's take a look at those.

Joshua Garnett's Role, Performance

Not long ago, third-year guard Joshua Garnett could have easily been seen as on the roster periphery. Especially after Shanahan subtly called him out for missing an extensive amount of time with a knee injury.

Perhaps that lit a fire under Garnett, as his performance against the Texans in relief of San Francisco's starter, Mike Person, was well above average.

Case in point:

While Garnett didn't start, he did play nearly two-plus quarters at the position, indicating the 49ers wanted to give him plenty of reps in advance of Week 3. Should Garnett start in Indianapolis, it would be a good indication Shanahan is planning on handing him the starting job when the regular season rolls around. The Stanford product will still have to earn his merits, however, but it appears as if he has a leg up over the competition, Person and Jonathan Cooper, right now.

Richard Sherman's On-Field Debut

One can admit, it's still going to be a bit weird seeing cornerback Richard Sherman on the field playing in a 49ers uniform.

Sherman missed the Niners' first two preseason games while recovering from a minor hamstring injury. But that will change on Saturday, as both Sherman and Shanahan indicated the three-time first-team All-Pro will see his first start this exhibition period.

"I'm going to play," Sherman told reporters earlier this week. "I'm feeling even better now and looking forward to going out there this week."

During Sherman's absence, the 49ers have fielded veteran defensive back Jimmie Ward outside. That hasn't fared too well, as Ward stopped his coverage on the Dallas Cowboys' Michael Gallup for a 30-yard touchdown two preseason games ago, and Ward also gave up a key grab to former San Francisco wide receiver Bruce Ellington on the Texans' opening drive last week.

Sherman, who also suffered a torn Achilles in 2017, will still be under a microscope. His recovery and health, especially with Ward's issues, will be essential to keeping the 49ers secondary in good shape this regular season.

What to Make of Alfred Morris?

The 49ers' running back situation is a bit more clear now, although not for the best of reasons. Top runners Jerick McKinnon (calf) and Matt Breida (shoulder) are both out with injuries, and second-year tailback Joe Williams (hip, broken rib) is expected to miss the rest of the preseason. Williams is on the roster bubble anyway, but that only clears some of the logjam at running back.

Meanwhile, Shanahan also noted 29-year-old tailback Alfred Morris, who was only recently added to the 90-man roster just ahead of the Houston game, will start Saturday in Indianapolis.

"We're going to have Alfred start this game," Shanahan told KNBR 680 on Friday. "He didn't get any carries last week, so I expect to see him a lot in the first half and see what he can do there."

While the injury news is good for Morris, the running back position is still crowded heading towards the regular season. With both McKinnon and Breida likely sidelined for the preseason, special teams ace Raheem Mostert is still in the mix for the No. 3 spot on the depth chart. Unless Shanahan intends on keeping four tailbacks this season, Morris is still heavily involved in a battle for that last spot.

A strong performance against the Colts will help make the head coach's decision a lot tougher.

How the 49ers Configure SAM Linebacker

In the wake of their trade of starting linebacker Eli Harold to the Detroit Lions, the 49ers have some configuring to do to at the strong-side (SAM) linebacking spot this Saturday and potentially beyond.

Perennial special teamer and backup linebacker Mark Nzeocha will get the start against the Colts, which should be seen as little more than a modest audition for a key depth role. The Niners also have the option to place fellow special teamer Dekoda Watson at that point, or they could experiment with placing someone like Malcolm Smith or the rookie, Fred Warner, over there during the regular season. Smith would help replace Harold's above-average run-stopping abilities, while Warner's already exceptional pass-coverage skills would help against opponents' tight ends and pass-catching running backs.

The experiment process could take place shortly after Nzeocha sees his start. Perhaps quickly, if Nzeocha winds up being something of a liability early on in Indianapolis.

Will the 49ers Pass Rush Please Arrive?

It's likely to be a problem during the regular season, especially after general manager John Lynch elected to table the need until 2019. But the 49ers pass rush has been non-existent off the edge over two preseason games. So far, the Niners have netted just two sacks this preseason, both against the Cowboys. Rookie defensive tackle Jullian Taylor had one, and defensive linemen DeForest Buckner and Solomon Thomas combined for the other.

Sacks can be a misleading stat, sure. But as shown in the clip below, EDGE Cassius Marsh isn't quite able to converge on Houston's quarterback quickly enough, allowing for a key completion that ultimately led to a Texans touchdown:

A classic case of "close" only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.

The 49ers have experimented a bit with Buckner rushing from the outside, so it wouldn't be a shock if we see a little of that early on in this game. But he's such a disruptor on the interior, it might also do San Francisco a bit of a disservice. What's lacking is the prowess from Marsh and fellow EDGE Jeremiah Attaochu.

Since this is a bit more of a real simulation of a regular-season game, however, it wouldn't be a shock to see defensive coordinator Robert Saleh scheme up a bit more pressure off the edge to increase the pass rush's efforts. If it works, well, that's a tool for use in the regular season. If not, it's still just a preseason game with zero long-term implications of note.

Either way, the Niners' first-team defense has been suspect the last two preseason games, and a little pressure would go a long way in building the stock value of this unit.

The 49ers and Texans kick off on Saturday, Aug. 25 at 4:30 p.m. from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

• Written by:
  Peter Panacy
  Peter Panacy has been writing about the 49ers since 2011 for outlets like Bleacher Report, Niner Noise, 49ers Webzone, and is occasionally heard as a guest on San Francisco's 95.7 FM The Game and the Niners' flagship station, KNBR 680. Feel free to follow him, or direct any inquiries to his Twitter account.
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  @PeterPanacy