Three takeaways from 49ers’ loss to Chargers in preseason finale

Here are three takeaways from the 49ers’ loss in the preseason finale to the Chargers, 27-24, capped by Wilton Speight’s interception late in the fourth quarter. San Francisco finished the exhibition slate 3-1.

Defensive struggles

The 49ers only played a handful of defensive players on the roster bubble. Most of their key contributors were on the sideline, including all their starters. The only players on the field early going that seem likely to make the roster were defensive end Ronald Blair III, rookie linebacker Dre Greenlaw, backup strong safety Marcell Harris and defensive back D.J. Reed (who took his first kickoff return 56 yards).

The Chargers, led by third-string quarterback Cardale Jones, scored points on their first four possessions while San Francisco’s defense struggled. The first play from scrimmage was a 42-yard run. The Chargers ran the ball 22 times for 129 yards in the first two quarters, good for a 5.9-yard average. Very little went right for San Francisco’s third- and fourth-stringers.

Jones in the first half: 10 of 16 for 149 yards, an acrobatic touchdown run and 26 yards on the ground. San Francisco struggled to contain him inside the pocket. The 49ers hit the locker room down 20-14 after allowing 269 yards.

The 49ers’ biggest defensive play was made by undrafted rookie Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, who had a leaping interception of fourth-string QB Easton Stick in the third quarter. Flannigan-Fowles has worked at both safety and linebacker and could be a candidate for the practice squad. Linebacker Mark Nzeocha had an interception in the fourth that led to a go-ahead touchdown with 5:40 remaining, giving the 49ers a 24-20 lead.

Beathard’s night limited

The 49ers gave C.J. Beathard the start after giving Nick Mullens the majority of playing time following Jimmy Garoppolo last week in Kansas City. Beathard played five series, leading a pair of touchdown drives and completed 6 of 9 for 58 yards.

His best throw was his 21-yard touchdown toss to Kendrick Bourne with 53 seconds left in the first half. He rolled to his left and lofted a pass to the end zone where Bourne and Malik Henry both appeared in range. Bourne dove to the ground and rolled out of bounds while making the grab. The play came a series after Bourne dropped a would-be first down completion that led to a three-and-out.

The 49ers with Beathard ran the ball more than they passed, giving Jeff Wilson Jr. and Austin Walter 12 combined carries, and Beathard had two scrambles. It was clear running the classic Kyle Shanahan outside zone was the backup offense’s biggest strength.

But Beathard’s most notable play came on a 41-yard run for Wilson, who initially ran into a wall to the left, then cut back to a wide-open field with Beathard as a lead blocker. Beathard took out a defensive back, giving Wilson just enough room to sneak up the right sideline and into the end zone. Wilson finished with 100 yards on 20 carries.

Mullens came into the game to start the third quarter but only played one series before getting replaced by fourth-stringer Speight. Mullens’ line: 1 of 3, 13 yards. Mullens seems to have wrapped up the backup job, but it remains to be seen if Shanahan wants to keep three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster.

Clarity on receiver battle

The 49ers began the game with Deebo Samuel and Richie James Jr. as their starters, and they didn’t see much action thereafter. Neither did Jordan Matthews, who appears to have done enough to secure a roster spot and have a prominent role while slot receiver Trent Taylor works his way back from a foot injury.

Bourne wound up playing into the second half, which isn’t a good sign for his chances at making the team. He began training camp as one of San Francisco’s most consistent pass-catchers. But drops have plagued him throughout practice and games — and the addition of Samuel and Jalen Hurd in the draft have put him on the wrong side of the roster bubble.

The good news for Bourne is he would likely make a team elsewhere, particularly with a coach from the Shanahan tree, such as the Rams (Sean McVay), Packers (Matt LaFleur) or Bengals (Zac Taylor).

San Francisco must decide how many receivers to keep. Hurd is dealing with a back injury and his immediate prognosis is unknown. Taylor could miss multiple games, which could force the team to keep seven wideouts. In that case, it would seem Dante Pettis, Marquise Goodwin, Taylor, Samuel, Hurd, Matthews and James.

This story was originally published August 29, 2019 at 10:09 PM.