49ers ride turnovers to 30-23 win over the Chargers to close the preseason

The San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Chargers combined for six turnovers in their preseason finale at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara on Sunday night, but it was the 49ers who were able to take advantage of them the most, turning four takeaways into 27 points in a 30-23 victory.

The game was tied at 16 late in the fourth quarter when two Chargers turnovers led to two late 49ers touchdowns, one of them being a pick-six by linebacker Curtis Robinson. Carter Bradley (8-of-14, 71 yards, one touchdown) started the game at quarterback and alternated snaps throughout with Tanner Mordecai (10-of-13, 103 yards, one touchdown), both of whom led the 49ers on scoring drives. Former 49er Trey Lance started the game at quarterback for the Chargers and finished 5-of-8 for 38 yards before being relieved by Taylor Heinicke and later D.J. Uiagalelei, who led the Chargers with 170 yards on 16-of-31 passing with two touchdowns and one interception.

First Half

Any late-arriving fans to Levi's Stadium didn't exactly miss any action, as the game started with four punts, six incompletions, and one first down in the first five minutes of play. The Chargers moved inside the 49ers' 40-yard line on the next possession and were set to go for a first down on a 4th-and-3 play from the 38, but they were forced to settle for a punt after being flagged for a false start. Tanner Mordecai entered the game at quarterback for the 49ers on the next possession, but the 49ers punted back to the Chargers after a three-and-out.

A punt return inside the 49ers' 20-yard line by Nyheim Miller-Hines was negated by a holding penalty, giving the Chargers the ball at their own 34-yard line to start the next possession. Heinicke entered the game at quarterback for the Chargers, who promptly punted the ball back to the 49ers after another three-and-out. The 49ers responded with a three-and-out of their own and the eighth punt of the first quarter, but the Chargers then gave the 49ers a gift when the punt bounced off the facemask and hands of return man Luke Grimm and into the hands of tight end Brayden Willis, who recovered the ball at the Chargers' 36-yard line.

The 49ers needed four plays from there to find the end zone, as after a 13-yard completion to tight end Luke Farrell on the second play of the drive, Mordecai connected with wide receiver Demarcus Robinson from 22 yards out on the first play of the second quarter for the first touchdown of the game. Kicker Jake Moody missed the extra point wide left, leaving the 49ers with a 6-0 early second quarter lead.

The Chargers responded with their first scoring drive of the game -- a 10-play, 43-yard possession that ended in a field goal from kicker Cameron Dicker to trim the lead to 6-3. The Chargers got as close as the 49ers' 31-yard line, but a fumbled snap followed by consecutive penalties pushed the ball back to the 47. A 13-yard completion from Heinicke to wide receiver Jaquae Jackson got the ball back within field goal range, then Dicker connected from 52 yards out to get the Chargers on the board.

Bradley re-entered the game at quarterback on the next possession, which ended badly after he fumbled back to the Chargers on a strip sack by linebacker Marlowe Wax. After taking over at the 49ers' 25-yard line, the Chargers quickly took the lead when Uiagalelei fired his first pass of the game into the end zone for a 25-yard touchdown to wide receiver Oronde Gadsen II and a 10-6 lead.

The 49ers moved to the Chargers' 44-yard line on the next drive before being pushed back across midfield on a third down sack. The ensuing punt was downed at the 7-yard line with 1:50 remaining in the half, then Uiagalelei led the Chargers quickly downfield on an impressive seven-play, 74-yard drive that ended with a 37-yard field goal from Dicker with nine seconds in the half to open up a 13-6 lead. The 49ers then took a knee on their final play of the half.

The Chargers owned the stat sheet in the first half, outgaining the 49ers 220-68 with 11 first downs to just four for the 49ers. The Chargers held a 172-51 yardage edge in passing and a 48-17 advantage in rushing.

Second Half

The 49ers opened the second half with possession at their own 24-yard line, but three consecutive penalties to start the possession pushed them into a 1st-and-23 and eventually a punt. But a turnover would put them back in business once again, as on the fourth play of the ensuing possession, linebacker Nick Martin knocked the ball loose from Miller-Hines and into the arms of defensive tackle Evan Anderson, who gave the 49ers the ball at their own 48-yard line.

From there, the 49ers ground out an 8-play, 52-yard touchdown drive, with six of those plays coming on the ground. A 13-yard run from Mordecai early in the drive moved the ball inside the Chargers' 40, then after two runs from running back Jeff Wilson, a 10-yard completion to wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins moved the ball inside the 20. Three plays later, Wilson ran in from five yards out to give the 49ers their second touchdown of the game, which was followed by a successful point after attempt from Moody to tie the game at 13.

Moody followed his extra point with a kick out of bounds on the ensuing kickoff, allowing the Chargers to start at their own 40. But the 49ers held firm on defense, forcing a three-and-out that allowed them to start again at their own 33-yard line after a 10-yard punt return from Junior Bergen. Bradley took over at quarterback for the next drive and led the 49ers 47 yards in 10 plays, eventually setting up a 38-yard field goal from Moody to give the 49ers a 16-13 lead late in the third quarter.

The 49ers forced a punt after nine plays on the next possession, but they gave the ball right back to the Chargers after a muffed punt by Bergen was recovered by cornerback Nikko Reed at the 11-yard line. The 49ers answered the challenge on defense, however, forcing the Chargers to settle for a 27-yard field goal from Dicker to tie the game at 16 with just over 10 minutes left in the game.

Mordecai led the 49ers downfield on the following drive, moving the ball to the Chargers' 21-yard line. But after getting stopped on a quarterback run on 3rd-and-1 from the 21, the 49ers were stuffed on 4th down when Wax took down running back Ke'Shawn Vaughn for a two-yard loss, giving the Chargers the ball at their own 23.

But one turnover was answered with another, as on the second play of the ensuing possession, Uiagalelei tossed the ball right into the hands of Robinson, who snagged an easy interception at the 32-yard line. Robinson had nothing but grass in front of him after the interception and ran full steam into the end zone to give the 49ers a 23-16 lead with just over six minutes remaining.

The teams exchanged three-and-outs after the interception, then the rough night continued for Grimm as yet another punt bounced off his facemask and onto the turf, giving the 49ers the ball at the Chargers' 19-yard line after a recovery by linebacker Chazz Surratt. After a three-yard loss on a first down run by Vaughn, Bradley then found wide receiver Terique Owens for a 22-yard touchdown and a 30-16 lead. It was the first career reception for Owens, who is the son of 49ers legend Terrell Owens.

The Chargers answered with an 11-play, 75-yard drive that ended in a 15-yard touchdown pass from Uiagalelei to Grimm, which cut the lead to 30-23. The 49ers recovered the ensuing onside kick, then ran out the clock to seal the win. The 49ers moved to 2-1 on the preseason with the victory, while the Chargers fell to 2-2 with the loss.

Game Notes

The starting offense for the 49ers consisted of Bradley, Isaac Guerendo at running back; Robbie Chosen and Robinson at wide receiver; Farrell and Jake Tonges at tight end; and an offensive line consisting of Spencer Burford (LT), Austin Pleasants (RT), Matt Hennessy (C), Nick Zakelj (LG), and Connor Colby (RG). On defense, the 49ers started Sam Okuayinonu and Jonathan Garvin at defensive end; Alfred Collins and Jordan Elliott at defensive tackle; Jalen Graham, Chazz Surratt and Nick Martin at linebacker; Renardo Green and Dallis Flowers at cornerback; and Marques Sigle and Ji'Ayir Brown at safety... The 49ers will begin the regular season on Sunday, September 7 against the Seahawks at Lumen Field in Seattle (4:05 p.m. ET/1:05 p.m. PT, FOX). Before then, the 49ers and other NFL teams will need to cut their rosters to 53 players by the league-wide deadline of August 26.

Scoring Summary

• Q2 15:00 — LAC 0, SF 6
  D. Robinson 22 yd. pass from T. Mordecai (kick failed, wl) (4 plays, 36 yds, 1:36)
• Q2 07:56 — LAC 3, SF 6
  C. Dicker 52 yd. Field Goal (10 plays, 43 yds, 7:04)
• Q2 05:47 — LAC 10, SF 6
  O. Gadsden 25 yd. pass from D. Uiagalelei (C. Dicker kick) (2 plays, 25 yds, 0:47)
• Q2 00:12 — LAC 13, SF 6
  C. Dicker 37 yd. Field Goal (7 plays, 74 yds, 1:41)
• Q3 06:28 — LAC 13, SF 13
  J. Wilson 5 yd. run (J. Moody kick) (8 plays, 52 yds, 4:08)
• Q3 00:33 — LAC 13, SF 16
  J. Moody 38 yd. Field Goal (10 plays, 47 yds, 4:49)
• Q4 10:29 — LAC 16, SF 16
  C. Dicker 27 yd. Field Goal (4 plays, 2 yds, 1:36)
• Q4 06:15 — LAC 16, SF 23
  C. Robinson 32 yd. interception return (J. Moody kick)
• Q4 03:17 — LAC 16, SF 30
  T. Owens 22 yd. pass from C. Bradley (J. Moody kick) (2 plays, 19 yds, 0:11)
• Q4 01:05 — LAC 23, SF 30
  L. Grimm 15 yd. pass from D. Uiagalelei (C. Dicker kick) (11 plays, 75 yds, 2:11)

Game and Player Stats