Chargers vs. 49ers: Postgame Grades, Notes and Quotes for San Francisco
The San Francisco 49ers wrapped up their 2015 preseason campaign in a low-scoring 14-12 victory over the visiting San Diego Chargers.
As is typical throughout the league, nearly the entirety of the 49ers' starters sat out the contest. This left all four quarters of play in the hands of backups and players desperately trying to hold on to a roster spot—if not with San Francisco, perhaps with another franchise.
Even though the final preseason matchup means little in terms of the quality of football, we learned a number of things from the 49ers' efforts.
Wide receiver Bruce Ellington had a nice game after missing much of the preseason with a nagging injury. Running back Jarryd Hayne has continued to impress. And the 49ers defense also looks as if its depth will be a notable strength.
Ellington's first-quarter touchdown was only the second offensive score for San Francisco this preseason. Rookie tight end Busta Anderson also got on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter.
With a win in their belts, the 49ers will now face the difficult task of determining their final 53-man roster in preparation for their regular-season debut on Monday Night Football on September 14 against the Minnesota Vikings.
But let's break down what was on display in this final tune-up contest.
Position Grades for 49ers
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| Position | Grade |
| QB | B |
| RB | B |
| WR | A- |
| TE | A- |
| OL | C- |
| DL | B+ |
| LB | C |
| DB | B |
| Special Teams | C |
| Coaching | B+ |
Dylan Thompson and not No. 2 signal-caller Blaine Gabbert got the nod at quarterback against San Diego. And Thompson enjoyed his best preseason outing with 17 completions on 25 attempts for 225 yards and two passing touchdowns against one interception.
San Francisco sparked its ground game a bit with running backs Kendall Hunter, Mike Davis and Jarryd Hayne leading the 49ers to a combined 144 rushing yards.
Yet the 49ers receivers were the ones who impacted the scoresheet. Wide receiver Bruce Ellington, who is a candidate to secure the No. 3 receiver position, hauled in the first touchdown for San Francisco. And rookie tight end Busta Anderson hauled in a 16-yard pass for the 49ers' second score.
Despite additional concerns along the O-line, San Francisco's offense still managed to generate 351 total offensive yards.
The defensive line also held its own against San Diego's offensive attack. While the 49ers linebackers had some issues in coverage, San Francisco's defense was able to hold the Chargers to a mere 250 yards of offense.
And young defensive backs like Kenneth Acker, L.J. McCray and Jaquiski Tartt continue to impress.
Kenneth Acker Has Likely Locked Up the No. 2 Cornerback Spot
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Entering the season, one might have easily suspected the 49ers to start veteran cornerback Shareece Wright alongside fellow corner Tramaine Brock. After all, Wright was with the first-team unit in Week 1 of the preseason against the Houston Texans.
But that title has since gone to second-year pro corner Kenneth Acker.
Acker started last week's preseason bout against the Denver Broncos—the game in which most starters end up playing the longest over the course of the four-game set. And his end-zone interception of quarterback Peyton Manning helped promote his development.
KPIX 5's color analyst Tim Ryan noted during the in-game broadcast that he felt Acker had all but secured the No. 2 spot for the regular season.
Acker started again in Week 4 while Wright was relegated largely to the second half. Again, the young defensive back continued to impress with tight coverage and smart reads.
Arik Armstead Continues His Growth
3 of 7Rookie defensive end Arik Armstead probably isn't going to be a starter come the regular season. The 49ers defensive line is already deep enough for the 49ers to avoid pressing him into service right away.
That left San Francisco with this final exhibition game to give Armstead an elongated look against San Diego.
Armstead executed some strong bull-rush moves—especially in the third quarter—and looked consistently stronger than he has for much of his preseason tenure.
His improvement was noted by a number of pundits, including Vincent Frank of eDraft.com, who stated Armstead's efforts in this final preseason week were "night and day" compared to previous efforts.
Armstead frequently took on multiple Chargers blockers and executed his pass-rush moves well. He finished the game with three tackles, but the fact he was able to lock up sizable components of San Diego's O-line is commendable enough.
The 49ers will be hoping he continues to develop in this area with the eventual thought of him becoming a stalwart figure on defense.
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Bruce Ellington Has Likely Secured the No. 3 Wideout Position
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Second-year pro wideout Bruce Ellington hadn't had much of an impact this preseason until the 49ers' final effort versus the Chargers.
Ellington's 70-yard touchdown reception revealed how much of a speed threat the budding receiver is when he gets into open space.
Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area described the play:
"Ellington is finally healthy enough to play, and he showed more in the first minute of the 49ers’ final exhibition game than most of the other receivers showed all summer.
Ellington caught a short slant from undrafted rookie quarterback Dylan Thompson in stride, angled across the field and sprinted through the San Diego Chargers’ defense for a 70-yard touchdown.
"
Ellington finished the contest with 86 yards on three catches.
With veteran wideout Jerome Simpson suspended for six games, the competition is open for San Francisco's No. 3 receiver position. Other receivers Quinton Patton and DeAndrew White are also in the mix per Maiocco.
But, if tonight's game has any influence, signs are pointing to Ellington winning the job.
Jim Tomsula on the Injury Front
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Perhaps the most important element of the preseason is to avoid any devastating injuries, which obviously trickle into the regular season, as has been seen across the league this year.
San Francisco is dealing with some injuries despite the fact the team isn't required to release an official injury report until Week 1.
Center Daniel Kilgore is a notable injury that will hamper the team entering the regular season, per San Francisco's website. He'll be unavailable for the first six weeks of the regular season.
Despite a physically contested game between players clinging to hopes of making a roster, the 49ers were lucky enough to come away with zero injuries.
"I thought both teams played hard and physical," head coach Jim Tomsula noted during his postgame presser. "No injuries to report, which is always positive."
An injury at this point, even if it were to a depth player, could have had significant consequences in the formation of San Francisco's regular-season roster. Imagine if either cornerback Keith Reaser or Kenneth Acker suffered some setback, or if rookie safety Jaquiski Tartt suffered some type of injury.
Thankfully, the 49ers won't have to worry about such things after this final preseason bout.
Tomsula on Ellington's Performance
6 of 7Jim Tomsula also credited Bruce Ellington's standout performance Thursday night.
Ellington and Dylan Thompson had played together at South Carolina, so the two players obviously had some chemistry together.
And it showed.
Ellington's 86 receiving yards led all 49ers receivers against San Diego, and the second-year pro was a primary reason why San Francisco came away with the victory.
"That's the reason Bruce is here," Tomsula stated when asked about Ellington's performance, per the 49ers. "That's the Bruce we know."
With veteran wideouts Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith likely to lock up the Nos. 1 and 2 spots on the depth chart at wide receiver, Ellington now is in perfect position to assume the third slot in what could be a promising breakout for him at the start of the year.
Dylan Thompson on His Strong Effort
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The 49ers aren't likely to keep three quarterbacks on their 53-man roster in 2015. They didn't last season, nor should we expect them to do so again this year.
That means No. 3 quarterback Dylan Thompson will probably have to find a job elsewhere this season. Or be relegated to the practice squad should the 49ers see fit.
Thompson's preseason has been pretty rough thus far. He looked all but lost against the Houston Texans in Week 1 of the preseason and didn't fare much better against either the Dallas Cowboys or Denver Broncos in subsequent weeks.
But his 106.2 passer rating against the Chargers is a positive note on which the undrafted free agent can build. And the fact San Francisco's coaching staff let him play the entire game is another step in the right direction for the young rookie.
"I was fired up," Thompson said via the team's Twitter feed. "I told my family I was really excited to get a lot of reps. I'm just grateful."
With the final wave of roster cuts coming this weekend, Thompson can hope that he impressed some other team enough to take a flier on him. Or he can hope the 49ers try to stash him on the practice squad for continued development.
At any rate, the young signal-caller finished his preseason efforts on a very positive note.
All statistics, records and accolades courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com and ESPN.com unless otherwise indicated.
Peter Panacy is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report covering the San Francisco 49ers. Follow him (@PeterPanacy) on Twitter.
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