Final score: The 49ers came up just short, losing 23-16. Nick Mullens threw an interception on the team’s final offensive drive, and the Colts could kneel it out. The 49ers drop to 1-2 on the preseason. They host the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday to close it out. Nick Mullens is back at it: The 49ers trailed 20-9, but Nick Mullens has made his presence known once again. Mullens completed a 35-yard pass to Aldrick Robinson to set up a Mullens QB scramble for the touchdown. Jeremy McNichols ran in the 2-pt conversion, and it’s 20-17 with 4:07 to go in the game. Reuben Foster out with a concussion: The 49ers linebacker suffered a head injury in the third quarter, and was quickly ruled out with a concussion. He is unlikely to be available this coming week for the Chargers game, which means he will not be in game action again until Week 3, after his 2-game suspension. Second team defense: The 49ers starting defense played the first half, and then were replaced by numerous reserves. Greg Mabin and Tarvarius Moore came on at cornerback, with Antone Exum and Tyvis Powell in at safety. D.J. Reed is playing nickel back. Reuben Foster and Brock Coyle are handling linebacker work. The defensive line includes Ronald Blair, D.J. Jones, Sheldon Day, and Dekoda Watson. Halftime: The 49ers trail 7-6 at the half. The defense gave up an Andrew Luck touchdown pass to Eric Ebron, but the Colts averaged 4.3 yards per play with Luck in the game, which is a solid showing by the 49ers defense. The 49ers offense got into the red zone near the end of the half but a pair of dropped interceptions resulted in the 49ers kicking a field goal. Andrew Luck has departed the game, and we’ll see if Jimmy Garoppolo joins him on the sideline to start the third quarter. First score: Neither team got on the board in the first quarter, but the 49ers managed a field goal early in the second quarter. With 13:37 to go in the quarter, they have to be impressed by Alfred Morris. He has nine rushes for 61 yards, and had a 17-yard run called back due to an illegal formation penalty. The Colts are not a good team, but Morris is showing out in a big way. The 49ers lead 3-0. Strong run defense: Coming out of college, there were concerns about Ahkello Witherspoon’s physicality. On this Colts run play, he came on strong for the stop. One of my favorite plays of the first quarter. Starting offense: No surprises to the starting line, with Mike Person in at right guard. Alfred Morris got 17 yards on his first carry, but it was called back due to illegal formation. He grabbed 11 yards on his second carry. The offense had a shot at a first down on a screen pass, but Raheem Mostert dropped the pass. They eventually had to punt. Starting defense: The 49ers starting defense on the opening drive: DL Arik Armstead, DL DeForest Buckner, DL Solomon Thomas, DL Earl Mitchell, LB Malcolm Smith, LB Fred Warner, CB Richard Sherman, CB Ahkello Witherspoon, nickel back K’Waun Williams, FS Adrian Colbert, SS Jaquiski Tartt. The opening drive for the defense was a good one, forcing a three-and-out of the Andrew Luck led Colts. The drive closed with a sack of Luck. Solomon Thomas made a nice move to get inside, but missed the sack. At least four other 49ers converged on Luck, wtih Jeremiah Attaochu getting credit for the sack. Coin toss: The 49ers won the toss, but elected to defer. That means their offense will open the second half with the ball. As Matt Maiocco pointed out, that could mean Kyle Shanahan wants his first team offense to get some snaps into the third quarter. Team captains: The 49ers captains for preseason Week 3 are Laken Tomlinson, Jaquiski Tartt, and Elijah Lee. The team has a captain each of offense, defense, and special teams. I don’t know that we can take much from Lee serving as a special teams captain, but with Reuben Foster’s two-week suspension looming, Lee has a shot at a roster spot. Starting lineup notes: The 49ers are expected to start Mike Person at right guard, Fred Warner at MIKE linebacker, and Mark Nzeocha at SAM linebacker, per Joe Fann. Joshua Garnett has been getting praise for his work the past two weeks, but it would seem to not be enough to get him into the starting lineup. Does this mean person is the starter Week 1? Also, Warner is likely getting the start because Malcolm Smith is in his first game back from his injury. 49ers inactives: The 49ers announced their inactives, and the defense will get a look at most of the expected 2018 starters. Arik Armstead, Solomon Thomas, K’Waun Williams, and Malcolm Smith are all active for the game. The starters are expected to play the first half, but we’ll see what some of these guys get given their game-day inactivity previously. Here’s the full list of 49ers inactives for the game: RB Matt Breida, OL Garry Gilliam, DB Marcell Harris, TE George Kittle, OL Erik Magnuson, WR Max McCaffrey, RB Jerick McKinnon, RB Joe Williams Colts inactives: The Colts announced their inactives. Most notably, running backs Marlon Mack and Robert Turbin will not play, which means we won’t see the 49ers run defense getting quite the test. Additionally, left tackle Anthony Castonzo is inactive, which could help the 49ers pass rush. Here’s the Colts full list of inactives for Saturday: DL Denico Autry, WR K.J. Brent, OT Anthony Castonzo, LB Jeremiah George, RB Tion Green, CB Nate Hairston, DL Tyquan Lewis, RB Marlon Mack, RB Branden Oliver, RB Robert Turbin, LB Anthony Walker, CB Quincy Wilson, WR James Wright Pre-game: The 49ers are out on the field warming up for their 1:30 p.m. PT kickoff against the Colts. They will have a host of inactives for the game, which we’ll find out in the next hour or two.<doc-sep>The Indianapolis Colts hosted the San Francisco 49ers Saturday for their third preseason game as they get ready to head into the 2018 season. Per the usual with exhibition contests, there was some good to take in, and also some real issues that will need to be addressed immediately. The Colts did come away victorious, but we all know that the final score means nothing, but what the team learns from these four quarters means everything. Andrew Luck is still a boss: In his third preseason outing, Andrew Luck came through once again. His performance wasn’t the best against the Baltimore Ravens last week, but he certainly showed that the Colts will go as Andrew Luck goes. He finished 8-of-10 for 90 yards and a touchdown through the air, and picked up 27 yards, scrambling four times on the ground. Luck had a dropback or two where he looked a bit frantic after getting past his first read, but he very quickly calmed down and was extremely poised the rest of his time under center. Luck finishes the preseason 20-of-32, throwing for 204 yards with a touchdown and an interception. I think Colts fans can live with that result from a preseason in which we know we saw virtually none of the playbook. Colts still need a pass rush off the edge: We’ve seen guys like Hassan Ridgeway and Denico Autry creating pressure on opposing quarterbacks from the interior of the Colts defensive line, but aside from John Simon the edge group is pretty underwhelming thus far. In fact, before Ryan Delaire dropped C.J. Beathard at the end of the third quarter (he ended up notching two sacks on the day), Simon was the only defensive end on the roster who had accumulated a sack thus far. In the first half of Saturday’s Week 3 game, Simon and Anthony Johnson were able to get hits on Jimmy Garoppolo. Kemoko Turay and Tarell Basham were able to get a piece of the quarterback in the second half as well, and Skai Moore technically earned a sack as Garoppolo ran out of bounds. They’re getting some pressure, but not enough overall, and not enough from the defensive end group by any stretch of the imagination. Colts offensive line still has a long way to go: For the most part (15 dropbacks) the Colts offensive line struggled to protect Luck. He was sacked once, was forced to escape the pocket to scramble four times and was forced off of his spot a few more times despite being able to get the ball out of his hands in the process. Austin Howard was replaced with J’Marcus Webb after only once series with Luck in the game, Joe Haeg was worked over a few times and the interior even looked overwhelmed a couple times as well. This group was expected to be a much better pass blocking group, but we can see that the light at the end of the tunnel may be a bit further away than we expected. The running game was also abysmal. At halftime, the Colts running backs racked up all of 5 yards on the ground through 11 carries. Yuck. That’s not quite what the Colts are hoping to see executed come the regular season, but those numbers have a lot to do with the line. With expectations of having a much improved all-around offensive line, several things need to change in a hurry if that’s still going to be the case. Of course, Anthony Castonzo is still on the shelf, but the interior still needs a great deal of improvement going forward as well. Darius Leonard is a beast What else can we say about Leonard right now? I’m guessing that those who ‘didn’t like the pick’ are having some different feelings after watching his camp and preseason ability being presented. Leonard was, again, very active against the run and even had two near interceptions in the first half alone. Leonard’s speed is exactly what the Colts need from the rookie at the WILL position and with his instincts against the passing game beginning to show up on the field, it appears that he’s quickly moving towards being well-worth the second-round pick Chris Ballard used to grab him. Colts run defense desperately needs some consistency: Simply put, the Colts allowed nearly 100 rushing yards in the first half alone Saturday against the 49ers. That will not cut it with such a young group trying to make plays on the defensive side of the ball. Now, the Colts scheme is allowing more on the ground than they would if they just played straight up due in large part to their slanting so often on early downs. That works, both, for and against the defense, but when it goes against them it turns into major gains for opposing running backs. The missed tackles, some failures in gap integrity and the occasional situation in which they’re just plain-ole outmatched stacks yards on top of yards as the game goes on. We expected some difficulty against the run, with the change to the four-man front, but when the Colts kept Al Woods through the transition, something needs to be addressed I’d say. I think it’s a workable front for the Colts, however, they won’t be able to allow 100 yards per half and expect to win any games this year. Will a breakout receiver please stand up? We’ve had this conversation for the better part of the past couple months. It’s T.Y. Hilton, Chester Rogers... and then what? I don’t trust that Ryan Grant is going to offer enough to be a legit WR3, and behind him you have about three or four guys who have some real ability and are in the midst of a roster battle, but nothing concrete at all. Zach Pascal has showed some great receiving ability as well as some special teams help in the return game. Seantavius Jones, Kasen Williams and Steve Ishmael have all flashed too, but we have yet to see anything consistent out of camp or in preseason games.<doc-sep>We’re back for another week of preseason football! The San Francisco 49ers travel to face the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium in Week 3 of the preseason.This is your first quarter open thread. I’ve included a few helpful links, and also embedded the 49ers media Twitter list if you want to see what the media has to say during the game. NFL.com score center 49ers roster sortable by uniform number, position 49ers depth chart Location: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN Game time: Saturday, August 25, 1:30 p.m. PT TV channel: KPIX/CBS 5 Online streaming: NFL Game Pass, DirecTV Now, Sling TV (all free 7-day trials) Radio: 680-AM, 107.7 (Bob Fitzgerald, Keena Turner, Dennis Brown) | Full listings<doc-sep>49ers vs. Colts: Injury updates for Week 3 of the 2018 preseason follow By Peter Panacy Aug 25, 2018 at 12:32 PM • More San Francisco 49ers News Colts agreed with 49ers on Trey Lance, labeling the QB with this honor By David Bonilla May 17, 2021 Last week, San Francisco 49ers assistant general manager Adam Peters spoke with The Athletic and shared several interesting draft-related tidbits, one of which was identifying the two drafted prospects who earned the team's rare "gold helmet" designation. Heading into a draft, about 15-20 prospects earn the designation, which is reserved for those who are "exemplary" in several areas, including leadership and intelligence. Lance, who the 49ers selected No. 3 overall, and safety Talanoa Hufanga, a fifth-round pick, were the two who earned the designation from the 49ers and ended up being selected by the team. The idea of such a designation is not 49ers' Kyle Shanahan provides updates on Nick Bosa, Dee Ford, Jalen Hurd, talks Fred Warner's contract By David Bonilla May 25, 2021 San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke at length with reporters after Tuesday's practice. The team kicked off organized team activities this week. The coach provided several updates on rehabbing players. First, there was defensive end Nick Bosa, who was among those noticeably absent from practice. Shanahan shared that Bosa remains in Florida, training there. The team felt it best if he remained there during this portion of his rehabilitation. Bosa is still working his way back from the torn ACL suffered during Week 2 last season. "He came out in February for a while to get checked up on his knee and stuff," Shanahan said. "And with him coming off the ACL and everything, it's going great. I'm sure you guys have seen some videos. But he's got a good 49ers-Raiders returns to preseason schedule in 2021 By David Bonilla May 13, 2021 Lost in the 2021 NFL schedule release's manufactured hoopla was the return of a preseason rivalry matchup. No, it won't be during the regular season. It is a preseason matchup. The NFL is reducing the preseason to three games after eliminating it entirely for one season in 2020 due to the pandemic, and after adding a week to the regular season. The San Francisco 49ers and Las Vegas Raiders — then in Oakland — faced each other in an annual exhibition matchup for 11 consecutive seasons between 2001 and 2011. The rivalry game, previously labeled as the "Battle of the Bay," returns in 2021, with the Raiders scheduled to visit Levi's Stadium to close out the three-game preseason schedule. San Francisco opens its exhibition schedule by hosting 49ers announce dates and times of three preseason games By David Bonilla May 21, 2021 Today, the San Francisco 49ers announced the dates and times of the team's three preseason games. We already knew the opponents, which were revealed during the 2021 NFL schedule release. San Francisco's first exhibition game will be at Levi's Stadium against the Kansas City Chiefs. It will close out the preseason at home against the Las Vegas Raiders. Sandwiched between the two games is a road matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers. The game against the Raiders is the first preseason matchup between the two teams since the series was canceled after violence erupted between the two fanbases in 2011. The 49ers and Raiders faced each other in an annual exhibition matchup<doc-sep>
In Week 3 of the 2018 NFL Preseason, the San Francisco 49ers fell to the Indianapolis Colts, 23-17. Niner Noise has your full game recap, including highlights, scores and analysis. The San Francisco 49ers didn’t have the finest regular season “dress rehearsal” today against the Indianapolis Colts. Although the 49ers outplayed the Colts in most aspects of the game, dropped passes, penalties and a pair of costly turnovers forced the Niners to leave Indianapolis with their second preseason loss in three games. After two poor preseason showings by San Francisco’s first-team defense, the Niners’ starting defensive unit forced three straight punts by the Colts, led by quarterback Andrew Luck. The 49ers’ defensive line only sacked the mobile QB once, but they consistently adminstered pressure and closed the pocket, forcing the Luck to throw the ball early or scramble to safety: https://twitter.com/49ers/status/1033457430645026817 The 49ers’ offense was the weaker link today, although quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo extended drives and led the team into the red zone on three posessions. Unfortunately the 49ers came away with just two field goals on those three drives, after falling to score on a fourth-down pass attempt from the 6-yard line. San Francisco’s starting offensive line was impressive to begin the game, as was starting running back Alfred Morris, who finished the afternoon with 84 yards on 17 attempts. Garoppolo connected with wide receiver Marquise Goodwin on key plays, and hit wideout Pierre Garcon for a nice 47-yard reception: Today was cornerback Richard Sherman‘s first game action since joining the team this offseason. Sherman still has the respect of Luck, who didn’t look in Sherman’s direction for the first two drives of the game. Over the first half, Sherman allowed just one short reception and forced one pass breakup: https://twitter.com/49ers/status/1033475523899318272 Eventually, Luck led the Colts on a lengthy drive, thanks to a third-down pass interference penalty and a 16-yard reception on a fourth-down attempt. Luck also used his legs to move the chains on this third-and-long try: https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1033466716985032704 On the next play, Luck delivered a touchdown strike to tight end Eric Ebron, who worked his way behind 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster: With Garoppolo and Luck done for the night, the teams turned to their backup quarterbacks. With a defender in his face, Colts QB Jacoby Brissett fired this 53-yard bomb to wide receiver Seantavius Jones, which set Indianapolis running back Christine Michael up for a short touchdown run: https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1033484638545620992 Down by 11 in the fourth quarter, 49ers third-string QB Nick Mullens attempted to mount another preseason comeback. After tossing this 35-yard pass to wideout Aldrick Robinson, Mullens rushed the ball into the end zone on a QB keeper: https://twitter.com/49ers/status/1033494817655873536 49ers RB Jeremy McNichols ran in the two-point try, putting the visiting Niners within striking distance of the Colts. San Francisco’s defense was able to hold Indianapolis to a field goal, before Mullens and the 49ers received the ball with 70 seconds remaining on the clock. Unfortunately, the 49ers’ drive didn’t last long. Mullens was sacked on the first play, and then threw an interception after being hit on the following play. With just second remaining, the Colts closed out the game with a quarterback kneel, which sealed the 23-17 victory. Although the 49ers didn’t have a lenghty list of injuries from the game, Foster sustained a concussion in the second half, and defensive back Jimmie Ward left the game early due to a quad injury. The San Francisco 49ers host the Los Angeles Chargers next Thursday, in the final game of the 2018 NFL Preseason.