49ers vs. Chargers: Best performances from San Francisco’s 30-23 victory over Los Angeles

After splitting their first two preseason games, the San Francisco 49ers hosted the Los Angeles Chargers at Levi’s Stadium on Saturday night, and Kyle Shanahan’s team earned a 30-23 victory in the finale.

The 49ers decided to sit most of their starters again in this one, as Shanahan, his staff and general manager John Lynch wanted an opportunity to get one last look at some of their depth options before they have to trim their rosters down from 90 players to 53 in the coming days.

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Neither team looked strong early, as the game started with eight straight punts before the 49ers scored their first touchdown. Things picked up from there, with turnovers and scoring coming in bunches.

As we break down this game, let’s take a look at which players deserve some respect for their performance against the Chargers.

LB Nick Martin

The rookie linebacker really struggled in the preseason opener against the Denver Broncos, missing several tackles, but he bounced back against the Las Vegas Raiders. His solid play continued in the finale, as he finished with eight tackles (one for a loss) and a forced fumble that led to San Francisco’s second touchdown of the game. He even flashed on special teams, making a huge tackle on a fourth-quarter kick return. The strong finish to the preseason should set him up for a rotational role in the regular season.

WR Demarcus Robinson

With a guaranteed spot on the roster, once his three-game suspension is up, Robinson didn’t play much in this game. Yet, he still had two receptions for 30 yards, including a 22-yard touchdown where he created some space behind two defenders for quarterback Tanner Mordecai to hit him in the end zone.

RB Jeff Wilson

Isaac Guerendo started at running back for San Francisco on Saturday, but Wilson was his top backup. He was really the only 49ers running back who ran well, totaling 41 yards on 3.7 yards per attempt and a touchdown. The duo of Guerendo and Ke’Shawn Vaughn only averaged 1.9 yards per rush on 17 carries. Wilson’s efforts may have earned him a spot on the roster.

P Thomas Morstead

Morstead celebrated his zero-punt effort against the Raiders, but the 49ers made sure he got last week’s share of work against the Chargers. Morstead punted seven times on Saturday for 314 yards with a long of 51 and with one downed inside the 20-yard line.

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LB Curtis Robinson

Robinson missed most of the 2024 season with a torn ACL but was still the team’s nominee for Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year. On Saturday, he had his first big moment of the preseason, intercepting Chargers quarterback DJ Uiagalelei and returning the pass to the end zone for six points. What an incredible moment.

DEs Robert Beal and Trevis Gipson

Both Beal and Gipson are involved in a tight battle for depth spots in the defensive end room, and they both did well on Saturday. Gipson finished with two tackles (one for a loss) and Beal recorded two tackles of his own, but both were putting some pressure on Los Angeles’ quarterbacks throughout the game.

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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Best performances from 49ers preseason win vs. Chargers

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