Reel-to-Reel: Some Bad and a Little Good from the 49ers' Preseason Loss

I'm of an age where I can remember gaps between the end of one football season and the start of the next. For months, there'd be limited news from the San Francisco 49ers, except for an occasional addition or update on an injury. The drag between the Super Bowl and the first camp date at Sierra College was excruciating. 

It's been a bitter mood for 49ers fans since the loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship game. With the gaps between seasons gone, the pent-up rage has carried over into the 2023 season.

The 49ers played a poor preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders last week, but the bulk of the team's talent was in street clothes on the sideline. That fact made the loss more tolerable, but the ongoing saga of Trey Lance continues.

Lance took four sacks and seemed hesitant with the ball during his first few series. He warmed up and closed his afternoon with a few good reads and throws.

And let's make one thing clear: Head coach Kyle Shanahan called a fair game for Lance and Sam Darnold. He called foundational drop-back pass plays for both quarterbacks, movement, and play-action. There's no reason to call something exotic in a preseason game just for kicks. Getting the fundamental pass plays of the offense down today will pay dividends down the road.

Below are a handful of clips from the 49ers' offense under Lance and Darnold.

1st Quarter - 2nd & 7 at the SF 21 (6:42)

Movement plays are a critical element of Shanahan's offense. Outside zone runs set these up and have the quarterback keep the ball, boot left or right, and make a high-to-low read. The movement play is nothing more than a flood play run by any local high school. Yet, these are a practical part of the 49ers' offense and are not new for Lance.

Second 49ers’ possession: Fake 19 Wanda Keep Right. Be sure to watch the Raiders’ LBs in a blender.

I was happy Shanahan called ‘Fake 19 Wanda Keep Right' early in the 49ers' second possession.

Sometimes, the defensive end shoots down the line of scrimmage on the fake, leaving an open view for the quarterback to read the field. However, if the defensive end stays home, he has a free rush toward an exposed quarterback, thus eliminating the deep read, but leaves the intermediate and shallow receivers as an option.

In this case, Lance had wide receiver Ronnie Bell on a low cross with plenty of space to make a throw. Again, it's a tough throw, but Lance has the arm strength to do it and room for an error - there wasn't a Raider around.

1st Quarter - 1 & 10 at the SF14 (2:22)

‘Drift' is a foundational play for Shanahan, and it is not a 49er game unless we see it called at least once. It is an elegant, straightforward play and is nearly unbeatable. If run correctly, it will quickly gain 10 yards or more and is an immediate confidence boost for the quarterback.

Did you know I had to take geometry twice in high school? But Google for the win to help calculate the area of a circle.

Unfortunately, this was a considerable miss from Lance as he had wide receiver Chris Conely wide open on the ‘drift' route. Both Raider linebackers bit on the run fake, opening up a swath of field for Lance to make a play. Indeed, the offensive line had its struggles, but this miss was not their fault. Lance had plenty of time to read and deliver a strike.

2nd Quarter - 1 & 10 at the SF 35 (6:58)

Following the loss, there was plenty of fan debate about who was at fault for Lance's four sacks. Indeed, Lance was not helped by his offensive line. In this play, however, Lance was at fault for the sack.

Again, keep your eyes on the Raiders’ linebackers.

Shanahan called ‘F Fly to North Left Clamp P 19 Wanda Wizz/Y-Bend Z Blaze Out Locker' on the first play of the 49ers' fifth offense. Lance's hesitation in a slightly muddy pocket caused him to bail early, allowing linebacker Amani Burney to take him down for a five-yard loss.

Not every pocket will be as tidy as a surgical room floor. There will be, at times, a free rush or an edge collapsing quickly. Lance has to learn to hitch up and make a throw, especially against a defense that practically gave him free play. Note the Raider linebackers again biting on the run fake, which provided a clear line of sight for Lance to hit Bell on the ‘locker' route.

2nd Quarter - 3 & 10 at the SF 35 (5:42)

Lance did have a few good throws, notably on two separate dagger concepts. The first was during the fifth possession, and the other with 24 seconds left in the half against the Raiders Tampa 2 coverage.

‘Dagger' is another foundational play for Shanahan and one that wide receiver Deebo Samuel succeeded with during his rookie season.

On this play, wide receiver Willie Snead's 'deep thru' route attracted two Raider defenders, which opened a small window to find Conely for 17 yards. It was an excellent design, throw and catch.

3rd Quarter - 3 & 8 at the SF 45 (7:46)

If you've come here looking for a Lance vs. Darnold debate, you've come to the wrong place. I don't care who ends up as the 49ers' second-string quarterback. However, Darnold did have two nice throws during his time on the field.

I am about 95% certain on the play terminology - it has a Bronco-Stream vibe, but missing a route.

The first was on a play that looked like a Bronco-Stream concept, but it lacked a 'basic' route from the X receiver. Darnold threw a 34-yard frozen rope across the field to find wide receiver Tay Martin for a 15-yard gain.

3rd Quarter - 2 & 10 at the SF 41 (:04) 

Darnold's last completion of the game came on a Smack Y Gator concept play to Bell, which gained 16 yards. He found a soft spot in the Raiders' coverage; Bell made a fantastic snag and took a big hit while coming down with the ball.

The 49ers did not play a solid preseason game against the Raiders, but it certainly was not a sabotaged game plan, nor was it some scheme to have Lance fail. We saw a quarterback with limited in-game experience coming off an injury.

Lance does not need reps handing the ball off on an outside zone play. He needs to throw against a live defense again and possibly hit 20 or more attempts this weekend against the Denver Broncos.

What I want to see in a preseason game differs from others - and that's okay. These are nothing more than live practice games. I want to see a 2-minute drill, I want to see a no-huddle series with 8 minutes left in the first quarter, and I want to see a quarterback take a chance on intermediate and deeper routes. Both Lance and Darnold deserve opportunities in these situations for fair and accurate evaluation.

Video courtesy of NFL.com.