The San Francisco 49ers have been in Nevada since this past Wednesday and are eager to get home, especially after an embarrassing preseason debut against the Las Vegas Raiders. The two teams held joint practices together on Thursday and Friday, leading up to Sunday's contest (if you can call it that).
How would head coach Kyle Shanahan sum up the whole trip to Sin City?
"We got two good practices against them," the 49ers coach said. "I always like it when you can do that, and we practiced real hard the second day, especially with all the ones. That's always good, so we don't have to dress any of them today."
Isaiah Oliver, slated to be the 49ers' nickel corner, was the only offensive or defensive starter on the field against the Raiders, who also held back their starters. It didn't seem to matter, as the home team looked in command the whole way, beating their one-time Bay Area rivals 34-7 at Allegiant Stadium.
"I didn't enjoy that game by any means today," Shanahan said.
49ers fans in the stands and those watching the broadcast can probably relate to that statement. The uninspiring effort was a tough one to see. Still, the coach saw a silver lining.
"But a lot of guys got a lot of valuable reps, and [that] gives them a chance to make our team, and gives them a chance for us to coach them up tomorrow," Shanahan noted.
The 49ers will return to Santa Clara tonight, getting back on the practice field this week as the team prepares for its second preseason game, an August 19 matchup against the Denver Broncos at Levi's Stadium.
