Michael Wilhoite photo by Kelley L Cox of USA Today Sports
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The San Francisco 49ers open their 2014 preseason slate Thursday night in Baltimore. There has been a lot of discussion this offseason about potential changes to the 49ers offensive scheme. Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman tend to hold their cards close to the vest, and because of that I wouldn't expect to see much different during week 1 of the preseason.
With that as a backdrop, here are five things to watch for tomorrow night.
1) The Offensive Line:
Winning football starts up front, and three-fifths of the starting offensive line will be different than the group that started the NFC Championship Game last January in Seattle.
Jonathan Goodwin (FA),
Alex Boone (holdout), and
Anthony Davis (injury) are not available. In their place the right side of the line has consisted of
Daniel Kilgore,
Joe Looney and
Jonathan Martin. Kilgore and Looney have a total of 0 combined regular season starts between them, while Martin struggled at left tackle during his time in Miami and needs to earn a spot on the roster.
2) The Defensive Line:
Just like with the offensive line, the defensive line will look a lot different tomorrow night. All three starters from last season will be missing.
Justin Smith and
Ray McDonald have missed almost every practice in training camp and starting nose tackle
Glenn Dorsey may have been lost for the season with a torn biceps. Expect to see a lot of 2013 draft picks
Tank Carradine and
Quinton Dial. Both have been drawing rave reviews throughout camp and will see their first extensive action in 49ers uniforms after missing almost all of last season.
3) The Battle In The Middle:
With All-Pro middle linebacker
Navarro Bowman out for at least the first half of the season the battle for his starting spot is between
Michael Wilhoite and 2014 third round draft pick
Chris Borland. Wilhoite is likely to have a slight advantage having started 2 games in place of
Patrick Willis last season, but Borland has been impressive in the early stages of camp. This may be the best position battle throughout the preseason.
4) Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde:
By almost all reports second round draft pick
Carlos Hyde has been very impressive in camp. The only negatives so far have to do with the fact he is from the Big 10, did you know backs from that conference don't do well in the pros, and a rough day early on with a few dropped passes. Fortunately it appears that he has put those issues behind him. A strong performance in pass protection, combined with a few nice runs could go a long way to cementing his position as the heir apparent to
Frank Gore.
5) Old McDonald Had a Farm:
But on his farm does he have more catches?
Vance McDonald, a 2013 second round draft pick, is coming off a somewhat disappointing rookie campaign that saw him haul in only 9 passes. To be fair, he was only targeted 20 times in 19 games. Reports are a bit mixed on his performance through camp so far as the coaching staff seems to be forcing the ball in his direction to get him up to speed.
With
Garrett Celek out as the result of a disc issue with his back,
Derek Carrier and undrafted free agent
Asante Cleveland are both making strong pushes to make the final roster as well.
Be sure to follow Jack on Twitter @JackHammerNFL
The San Francisco 49ers return for their first home game of the 2023 season as they host the New York Giants at Levi's Stadium on Prime Video's Thursday Night Football. This matchup marks the 43rd in a series that is tied 21-21. The 49ers lead the all-time series at home against the Giants 12-10 and look to earn their second win against the team in four seasons.
Previous game
The Niners are coming off a 30-23 victory against the Los Angeles Rams. RB Christian McCaffrey led the offense with 116 rushing yards and one touchdown on 20 attempts, while WR Deebo Samuel added 63 receiving yards on six catches to go along with an 11-yard rushing touchdown. QB Brock Purdy completed 17 of his 25 passing attempts for 206 yards and scored a one-yard rushing
The San Francisco 49ers play their second of a three-game homestand as they host the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium. This matchup marks the 64th all-time meeting between the two clubs. The Niners look for their 20th home win in the series and lead the all-time series 34-29.
Previous game
The 49ers are coming off a 30-12 victory over the New York Giants on Thursday Night Football. QB Brock Purdy led the way by completing 25 of his 37 passing attempts for a career-high 310 yards and two touchdowns with a passer rating of 111.3. WR Deebo Samuel tallied six receptions for a team-high 129 yards, including a 27-yard touchdown reception. WR Ronnie Bell registered the first touchdown of his career on a nine-yard pass from Purdy, while RB Christian McCaffrey
The San Francisco 49ers improved to 2-0 on the season after a 30-23 Week 2 win over the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
Below are several statistics and notes from Sunday's game, which were provided by the 49ers Communications staff.
With The Win...
San Francisco has started the regular season 2-0 for the third time in the last five seasons.
The 49ers have won nine consecutive regular-season games against the Los Angeles Rams.
The Niners improved to 78-68-3 all-time against the Rams, including a 40-34-1 record on the road.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan improved to 10-3 in the regular season vs. the
Running back Christian McCaffrey has once again been nominated for the FedEx Ground Player of the Week, an award he won after Week 1. The latest nomination comes after the San Francisco 49ers' Week 2 30-23 win over the Los Angeles Rams.
McCaffrey rushed for 116 yards on 20 carries (5.8-yard average) and a rushing touchdown in the win over the Rams. His 268 rushing yards through the first two weeks of the season leads the NFL by an 88-yard margin.
Other nominees for this week's award are Miami running back Raheem Mostert, who rushed for 121 yards on 18 carries (6.7 average) and two touchdowns in Week 2, and Philadelphia running back D'Andre Swift, who rushed for 175 yards on 28 attempts (6.3 average) and a touchdown.
FedEx gives fans the opportunity