SANTA CLARA — It was an inauspicious start for Brock Purdy and the 49ers' offense Sunday night against the New Orleans Saints, but mainly because it wasn't the group the quarterback usually has at his side.
With much of San Francisco's starting lineup sitting out of the game, Purdy couldn't get into a rhythm in his 2024 NFL preseason debut at Levi's Stadium, completing just two of his six pass attempts for 11 yards across three drives, with a 42.4 passer rating.
George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, Kyle Juszczyk, Christian McCaffrey and Jauan Jennings all watched from the sideline while their quarterback tried to move the ball down the field. Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Willliams remain off the field, with each involved in contract disputes.
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Purdy’s first drive lasted just five plays and moved the ball 10 yards, but it was his most productive drive of the night. The longest play was a 6-yard pass to tight end Brayden Willis. Undrafted free agent Cody Schrader carried the ball twice, once for 5 yards and another for a loss of 1.
The 49ers' starting offensive line included Jaylon Moore at left tackle, Nick Zakelj at left guard, Jake Brendel at center, rookie Dominick Puni at right guard and Colton McKivitz at right tackle.
The second drive wasn't better, with Purdy’s receivers unable to create enough separation for the quarterback to make a play happen.
On the first play, Purdy scrambled as he tried to give his receivers time to get open, but he couldn't connect with tight end Eric Saubert. Schrader had a short gain of 2 yards on the next play, but Purdy again found himself running around the backfield to try and make a play happen, and a loss of 2 yards forced the team to punt.
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Purdy’s final drive of the night also lasted just three plays, but he did connect with Saubert on the second play for his second completion of the night. An incompletion to Trent Taylor after another off-schedule attempt forced an additional punt for the group.
While Purdy and the offense were unsuccessful in putting points on the board, they will have plenty of film to watch, analyze and use to improve. Real game reps after canceling joint practices with the Saints earlier in the week also was beneficial for the group in helping it prepare for Week 1.
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