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NFL Preseason Week 2 Recap: San Francisco 49ers 16, New Orleans Saints 10

2XWA78R San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joshua Dobbs (5) celebrates with teammates after scoring against the New Orleans Saints during the first half of a preseason NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vasquez)

The San Francisco 49ers were missing most of their front-line starters and sputtered out of the gates as a result, but they still did enough to fend off Derek Carr and the New Orleans Saints on Sunday night, beating them 16-10 in Week 2 of the preseason. 

Following Brock Purdy‘s shaky start, the Niners handed the offense to Joshua Dobbs and Brandon Allen, who are both vying for the backup quarterback position. Dobbs staked his claim to the job in a big way by leading a touchdown drive late in the first half, highlighted by an 11-yard scramble and a beautifully placed 38-yard pass to WR Jacob Cowing, which he then followed with a 1-yard touchdown run.

PFF's dedicated team of graders was hard at work, analyzing every player on every play in real time. The grades and data will be available after a thorough review tomorrow at 12 p.m. EST.

In the meantime, we’ve gathered some high-level data and snap counts from the game to give you an early look. Our expert graders have also nominated the standout player of the game, highlighting exceptional performance on the field.

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PLAYER OF THE GAME

Niners edge rusher Alex Barrett made the most of his 17 pass-rush snaps, recording one strip-sack, two hurries and another three pass-rush wins that didn't result in pressure. Barrett ended the night with a 35.3% pass-rush win rate, and he added one defensive stop against the run for good measure.

BOX SCORE

Saints 49ers
Total points 10 16
Total offensive plays 66 66
Average EPA per play -0.126 -0.019
Total net yards 263 315
Avg yards per play 4 4.8
Total first downs 19 20
Rushing first downs 8 5
Passing first downs 8 15
Penalty first downs 3 0
Third-down efficiency 27% 33%
Fourth-down efficiency 30% 11%
Possessions 10 10
Avg plays per drive 6.9 7.3
Avg yards per drive 23.9 28.6
Avg points per drive 0.9 1.4
Red-zone possessions 1 3
Red-zone plays 6 13
Red-zone TDs 1 1
Red-zone FGs 0 2
Red-zone scoring efficiency 100% 100%

SNAP COUNTS & PLAYER PARTICIPATION

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