What to Expect From the 49ers Preseason Game Against the Packers

The NFL is back!

Well the preseason at least as the San Francisco 49ers open up their 2022 schedule with the Green Bay Packers Friday, August 12th.

The Red & Gold concluded training camp Wednesday, eager as ever to put the pads on for real in their first game action since the disappointing loss to the eventually Super Bowl Champ, Los Angeles Rams, in January.

“I’m so excited to go out there and show what I’m about. I’m eager about that. I might not get any sleep before, but I’m all right,” rookie running back Ty Davis-Price said Wednesday.

The storyline of the offseason for the Red & Gold has been the development of quarterback Trey Lance as he assumes the starting position for the first time in his young NFL career. Head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed this week at training camp that the North Dakota State product will be seeing some action before the start of the regular season.

“In my mind right now, I’d like to see Trey get into Games 1 and 3,” Shanahan announced Wednesday.

Practice is over. 10-of-20 day for Trey Lance. Was shaky early and turned on some jets late. Very nice deep out completion to Brandon Aiyuk was the second-to-last play.

Next up: Thursday walkthrough and Friday’s 49ers-Packers preseason opener

— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) August 10, 2022

Lance has been up and down to say the least in this year’s camp, routinely having bounce back performances after poor showings the day prior.

Another Trey expected to get the lionshare of the touches Friday is second-year RB Trey Sermon after mainly featuring with the first-team offense during Wednesday’s practice. The former Ohio State Buckeye had a terrific day to close out the week, breaking off numerous runs of 10 to 15 yards during 11-on-11s. His explosiveness was also on display when he got to the outside, cutting up the field for a would-be touchdown in the red zone portion of drills.

Sermon was kept down in the pecking order in 2021 as the 49ers have a plethora of versatile halfbacks in Elijah Mitchell, Jeff Wilson Jr. and JaMychal Hasty. With the starters likely to see little, if any, time Friday, now might be the moment for the second-year back to make his case for the starting rotation.

Trey Sermon's best runs on Wednesday:

– 15-yard gain where he made a great cutback towards the middle on an outside-zone to the right,

– 5-yard gain to pick up the first alongside the left end during situational drills

– 11-yard TD run to the outside in the redzone#49wz

— Rohan Chakravarthi (@RohanChakrav) August 11, 2022

On the defensive side of the ball, many rookies and young players will be featured for the Bay Area team against the Packers, especially in the secondary. With both cornerbacks Emmanuel Moseley and Charvarius Ward out with minor injuries, rookies like Samuel Womack III out of Toledo will get more opportunities to shine in the preseason. The 23-year-old CB had a nice practice Wednesday with the first-team, coming up with a huge pass breakup on Jaquan Jennings in the red zone.

On the defensive line, look for USC rookie Drake Jackson to make his case for starting defensive end opposite of Nick Bosa. Jackson has dazzled with his elite agility and bend for a lineman, something Bosa wishes he could do as a rookie.

“He does things out there that I definitely couldn’t do as a rookie,” Bosa said during OTAs in June. “Just the way he moves. He’s definitely got some impressive stuff about him.”

These two are going to be a PROBLEM for NFC O-lineman this season #49ersCamp pic.twitter.com/rvPE1vSkNP

— Amiliano “Amil” Fragoso (@AmilianoFragoso) August 9, 2022

But regardless of the outcome, the coaching staff is just excited to see their young team in action, giving it their all for 60 minutes on the gridiron.

“The win for me in preseason games, it’s really [to] see those guys, who are young guys right, to see those guys when the lights come on, just to see them go out and perform,” defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans said Wednesday. “They went out in games and played well. High school, college and now I’m happy for guys to get to showcase that on an NFL level. So a win for me is just to see our guys go out and compete at a high level, playing great technique and make plays, that will be a win for me.”

Kickoff from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara is set for 5:30 p.m. PT Friday. Tickets can be purchased on the team’s official website.

For all things 49ers and NFL, stay locked in here on Sactown Sports.

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