49ers leave Las Vegas with 24-24 tie, Brock Purdy has admirable first quarter performance

Everyone rejoice: The preseason is over. And it ends with a tie for the 49ers.

The San Francisco 49ers finished the 2024 preseason with a tie, allowing the Las Vegas Raiders to even it up with 16 seconds left at 24 all. The 49ers finished the preseason with 1-1-1 record.

In a contest that saw the visiting Red & Gold take an early 10-0 lead, the home team bounced back, making it an entertaining contest throughout. And in the end, the 49ers couldn’t hold off the Raiders, allowing them to tie up with a 43-yard field goal from kicker Daniel Carlson.

Regardless, there were quite a few takeaways from Week 3 of the preseason. Let’s dive in, shall we.

Bring on the regular season.#FTTB pic.twitter.com/rrdulFhryI

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) August 24, 2024

Brock Purdy Thrives with Starters to Throw to, Go Figure

After his first preseason outing, it was somewhat warranted to question Brock Purdy. But, like he’s done throughout his football career: He rebounded accordingly.

The 49ers’ franchise quarterback showed vintage Purdy playmaking against the Raiders, finishing 9/12 passing for 96 passing yards. He also had 14 yards on the ground, picking up a vital first down with his legs. While he was only on the field for three drives, they were all worthwhile, showcasing a variety of Purdy’s skills.

His lone blemish was the interception, but that really wasn’t his fault. The ball got tipped by the cornerback on a Deebo Samuel slant, bouncing to another DB. He also took quite a few hits, even delivering one on the INT.

He wouldn’t be Brock Purdy if he didn’t play at 110% at all time, even if it is the preseason.

His best play of the day came on a third down heave to George Kittle, throwing over the top of the linebacker as the QB got crushed. The ball found an ascending Kittle for a 15-yard pickup.

A perfectly layered throw from Brock Purdy to George Kittle. Sheesh 🎯 pic.twitter.com/1bHOYJAvvP

— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) August 24, 2024

Again, Purdy makes magic, even when it seems impossible. The big takeaway is his command of the offense, fully in-control entering Year 3 in the NFL. If he can carry that into the regular season, it should be another prolific year for the 49ers’ offense.

Jordan Mason Season or We Riot

The verdict is in: Jordan Mason has earned the right to be the 49ers’ RB2 to Christian McCaffrey.

Jordan Mason is a 1,000 yd back on another team

— Brian Peacock (@BDPeacock) August 24, 2024

“JP” has looked the part of a three-down running back in 2024, putting together another strong showing against Las Vegas. Mason finished with 49 total yards and one touchdown on nine touches. The numbers don’t paint the whole picture though, as the bruising ballcarrier showed versatility on every run. His patience was uncanny, finding holes to move his way towards first downs.

His pass-catching ability is the real eye-opener, with the 49ers throwing his out wide like McCaffrey. He has a bit of twinkle toes now, dancing his way past Raiders’ defenders. Even the coach that he dropped was impressive, almost able to tip-toe on the sideline for the completion.

Simply put: No other 49ers’ ballcarrier has grown like JP Mason the past few years. And if he isn’t named the No.2 on the depth chart, 49ers’ twitter might riot (myself included).

Can Anyone Stay Healthy?

This is a bit of hyperbole(well maybe it’s not) but the 49ers have had way too many injuries this preseason. Adding Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos to the list is the cherry on top of disaster.

Both of the 49ers’ newest pass-rushing weapons suffered knee injuries in the first quarter against Las Vegas, on the same drive. The former went down in a heap and struggled to get off the field after teammate Maliek Collins fell on his knee. Meanwhile, the latter got hurt when teammate De’Vondre Campbell put Gross-Matos’ leg in the turf while making a tackle.

Both men were listed as questionable to return, and then ruled out at halftime.

The good news: Both seem to have avoided serious injury, with Floyd seen smiling on the 49ers’ sideline afterwards. And that’s huge, considering defensive end is the unit’s thinnest position on the roster.

Nevertheless, the 49ers are definitely grateful to see the preseason come to end, hopefully leaving their injury woes behind them (hopefully).

San Francisco 49ers 2024 Schedule:

Regular Season

• Monday, September 9th vs. New York Jets – 5:15 pm PDT
• Sunday, September 15th @ Minnesota Vikings – 10 am PDT
• Sunday, September 22nd – @ Los Angeles Rams – 1:25 pm PDT
• Sunday, September 29th vs. New England Patriots – 1:05 pm PDT
• Sunday, October 6th vs. Arizona Cardinals – 1:05 pm PDT

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