Dobbs shines as 49ers hold off Saints for 16-10 preseason win

Brock Purdy made his preseason debut for the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night, but it was backup Joshua Dobbs who stole the show in leading the 49ers on three first-half scoring drives in a 16-10 win over the New Orleans Saints.

Dobbs finished the game 12-of-21 passing with 133 yards and one rushing touchdown, all before halftime. Purdy was one of the lone starters to see action for the 49ers, who played primarily backup players for the second straight game. The offense was ineffective in three possessions with Purdy, who finished the game with 11 yards on 2-of-6 passing.

Derek Carr started at quarterback for the Saints, who played a number of starters on Sunday night. Carr finished with 47 yards on 7-of-9 passing and led the Saints on their lone touchdown drive of the game. The Saints had possession late in the fourth quarter with a chance at a come-from-behind victory, but the 49ers forced a turnover on downs with less than two minutes remaining to seal the win.

First Half

Purdy and the 49ers began the game with possession at their own 31-yard line but were unable to do much offensively throughout the first quarter following a first down completion to tight end Brayden Willis on the second play of the game. The 49ers punted after five plays on their opening possession, then were held to two consecutive three-and-outs on their next two possessions. A defense full of backup players stepped up for the 49ers at first by limiting the Saints to two three-and-outs to start the game, with a tackle-for-loss from safety Ji'Ayir Brown being their highlight play of their first two series.

A punt from Pressley Harvin pinned the Saints at their own 5-yard line following the second 49ers three-and-out, but Carr and the Saints offense found a rhythm and put together a 16-play, 95-yard drive that culminated with a one-yard touchdown run from Taysom Hill to take a 7-0 lead. The drive took over eight minutes off the clock and featured a number of chunk plays, with a key moment coming on a 7-yard completion to rookie receiver Bub Means to keep the drive going on a 4th-and-5. Hill's touchdown was the second fourth down conversion of the drive and put the Saints on the board with less than two minutes off the clock in the second quarter.

Dobbs took over for Purdy on the next drive and got the offense rolling with six consecutive completions to move the 49ers into scoring range. A holding penalty on wide receiver Jacob Cowing at the Saints' 32-yard line pushed the 49ers into a 1st-and-20, which they weren't able to overcome and led to them settling for a 47-yard field goal from kicker Jake Moody to cut the lead to 7-3.

Rookie Spencer Rattler entered the game at quarterback for the Saints on the next possession and quickly gave the ball back to the 49ers on a strip sack and recovery by defensive end Alex Barrett. The 49ers took over on the Saints' 38-yard line and moved into a 1st-and-Goal at the 4-yard line, but penalties pushed them backwards and led to a 24-yard field goal from Moody to move within one point at 7-6.

The Saints took over with just under three minutes left in the half, then moved the ball to their own 44-yard line before punting back to the 49ers at the 1:24 mark. The 49ers took over at their own 21-yard line, then Dobbs led them on an 11-play, 79-yard drive that ended with a one-yard touchdown run from the quarterback to take a 13-7 lead. Key plays on the drive included a 21-yard completion to running back Matt Breida on a third down, a highlight 11-yard run from Dobbs to escape from pressure and move the chains, and a 38-yard completion to Cowing on a 3rd-and-10 to set up a 1st-and-Goal with 17 seconds remaining. Dobbs scored with one second left on the clock, then Rattler took a knee to send the game to halftime on the next offensive play.

Second Half

The Saints opened up the second half with a nine-play, 36-yard drive that ended in a 52-yard field goal from kicker Blake Grupe to cut the 49ers' lead to 13-10. Brandon Allen then entered the game at quarterback for the 49ers, who moved the ball close to midfield on an 19-yard run from Cowing and a 12-yard run from Breida. But a holding penalty on offensive lineman Chris Hubbard drove the 49ers backwards and led to a punt after six plays.

The Saints responded with a punt of their own, then the 49ers took over at their own 41-yard line and moved into Saints territory with an eight-play, 26-yard drive. Moody lined up for a field goal attempt from 51 yards at the end of the drive, but the kick sailed wide right to keep the score at 13-10.

Jake Haener entered the game at quarterback for the Saints on the next possession, which began at their own 41-yard line with just over two minutes remaining in the third quarter. The Saints moved into 49ers territory before being moved back by an offensive pass interference penalty and eventually punted back to the 49ers, who took over at their own 20-yard line at the 13:24 mark in the fourth quarter.

Undrafted rookie Tanner Mordecai took over at quarterback for the 49ers on the next possession and promptly moved close to midfield with completions to Willis and tight end Jake Tonges. Mordecai's first possession lasted 13 plays as the 49ers drove to the Saints' 18-yard line and ended with the fourth field goal of the game from Moody, this one from 36 yards to take a 16-10 lead.

Haener and the Saints took over at the 15-yard line after the kickoff with just under seven minutes remaining in the game. The Saints drove to the 49ers' 21-yard line before the two-minute warning but moved backwards due to a second down offensive holding penalty on wide receiver Stanley Morgan. After an incompletion on 2nd-and-16 and a 9-yard completion on 3rd-and-16, Haener's fourth down attempt fell incomplete in the end zone, which turned the ball over to the 49ers with 1:43 remaining.

The 49ers ran out the clock from there to seal their first win of the 2024 preseason. The Saints fell to 1-1 on the preseason with the loss.

Game Notes: The 49ers will wrap up their preseason schedule on Friday night with a road game against the Las Vegas Raiders (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, NFL Network)... Starters on offense for the 49ers on Sunday night (per Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area) included Purdy; Cowing; Willis; running back Cody Schrader; wide receiver Chris Conley; tight end Eric Saubert; left tackle Jaylon Moore; left guard Nick Zakelj; center Jake Brendel; right guard Dominick Puni; and right tackle Colton McKivitz. Starters on defense included defensive ends Robert Beal and Yetur Gross-Matos; defensive tackles Jordan Elliott and Kevin Givens; linebackers De'Vondre Campbell, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, and Curtis Robinson; cornerbacks Renardo Green and Rock Ya-Sin; and Brown and George Odum at safety.