© Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
The 49ers play their third preseason game of 2018 Saturday afternoon when they visit the Indianapolis Colts. From bubble players to those returning from injury, plenty is at stake as the regular season looms just 16 days away.
Let’s review the dynamics to watch in Saturday’s matchup.
First-team units to play entire first half
Kyle Shanahan has indicated the starters will play the entire first half— maybe slightly more or less. That continues the “dress rehearsal” mantra associated with the third preseason game, which most closely resembles a regular season contest. This is the first time we will see both starting units play more than two drives at full strength since last season.
Through two preseason contests, the 49ers starting units have yielded mixed results.
The defense has allowed consecutive opening drives resulting in touchdowns. Both the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans marched downfield with ease. The issues have been widespread, from nonexistent pass rush, to communication issues on quarterback scrambles, to poor tackling, and soft pass coverage. Can the 49ers defense turn things around against Andrew Luck and company?
The first-team offense has fared better. In the first preseason game, Jimmy Garoppolo and company yielded two first downs before punting. That was all we saw of the starters. In the second game, however, they drove 78 yards for a touchdown. They continued to move the ball on the second drive, but consecutive Weston Richburg penalties backtracked the offense out of the red zone. Garoppolo threw an interception the following play. He finished 10 for 12 with 136 yards, a touchdown, and that interception.
After the game, Shanahan was hard on Garoppolo and the offense, lamenting Richburg’s pair of penalties and the interception, which Shanahan partially blamed on Dante Pettis. Can the 49ers offense finish drives and limit the mental errors Saturday?
Richard Sherman returns
Richard Sherman will start an NFL game for the first time in more than nine months. He is expected to play the entire first half Saturday.
Plenty has changed in Sherman’s life since Nov. 9, the day he ruptured his right Achilles: joining a division rival, turning 30, working his way back to practice, and suffering a minor hamstring injury he suffered early during training camp.
Whether he is able to continue his dominance he showed throughout his seven years with the Seattle Seahawks, and whether he can stay healthy in 2018 are questions looming over this defense. For a cornerback room with little experienced depth, and for a pass rush that would benefit from a couple extra seconds to reach the quarterback, Sherman is massively important to the 49ers’ season.
Saturday is the first step.
Alfred Morris to start
Alfred Morris is working on abbreviated time. After the 49ers signed the veteran running back early last week, Morris participated in two joint practices at Houston, but he did not play in San Francisco’s 16-13 loss last Saturday.
That will change Saturday. Morris will start with the first team. He is expected to play much of the first half.
Morris has minimal opportunity to prove he deserves a roster spot. Thursday is the only time the 49ers coaches will watch him run with the starters against an opposing team prior to the regular season. The starters rarely play in the fourth and final preseason game.
Between Morris, Raheem Mostert, Jeremy McNichols, and the injured Joe Williams, the third running back spot is seemingly yet to be determined. The 49ers could keep four running backs, however, which Shanahan affirmed earlier this week.
Morris’ physical, between-the-tackles runner could add another element to a San Francisco backfield known for its speed and versatility. If he plays well Saturday, it would be hard not to include him in the final 53.
Opportunities await for young outside linebackers
The 49ers traded outside linebacker Eli Harold Thursday morning. Harold, who spent all three years of his career with the 49ers, struggled to separate himself from the younger options, including Mark Nzeocha and Pita Taumoepenu.
Nzeocha will start Saturday. Like Morris, it will be the first time Nzeocha has extended opportunity to impress the 49ers coaching staff in a game setting against opposing starters. Nzeocha played just nine snaps last season and was on the field for three defensive plays last Saturday.
Nzeocha has undergone a position switch from inside to outside linebacker. While the spots are interchangeable, there are nuances between them. Nzeocha is playing closer to the line of scrimmage, responsible for setting the edge on run plays and pressuring the quarterback — one of San Francisco’s weaknesses.
Taumoepenu will also get a strong workload. Dekoda Watson, who has been moved to LEO this year, and Cassius Marsh are players Shanahan identified as outside linebacker candidates, too.
Defensive linemen making returns
Defensive linemen Arik Armstead and Solomon Thomas, who entered 2018 as projected starters, will return from injuries Saturday. Armstead hurt his hamstring in the first week of training camp and did not play in either preseason game. Thomas suffered a concussion in the 2018 preseason opener and did not play last Saturday.
Armstead particularly would benefit from a solid performance to build momentum entering the regular season. Seventh-round pick Jullian Taylor has had an impressive preseason, and he’s emerged as a legitimate threat to supplant Armstead as the starter at big end. Since he was drafted in the first round of the 2015 draft, Armstead’s career has been defined by injuries — he has just 11 career starts. His fourth career season has been delayed with a hamstring setback.
Both Thomas and Armstead are important pieces in bolstering a struggling pass rush.