The 5 biggest developments from the 49ers' preseason win over the Raiders

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At dinner in Las Vegas Friday night, Chase Lucas told his teammate, Trent Williams, that he’d intercept a pass for the 49ers in Saturday's preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders. 

The guarantee to the future Hall of Famer tethered itself in preparation: Lucas said he’d watched 135 film cutups — readied by 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and DB coach Daniel Bullocks — of different Raiders’ route combinations “about 10 times” heading into the game. 

So Lucas already knew exactly what to do after his study allowed him to undercut a perimeter pass from quarterback Aidan O’Connell’s. He looked for Williams on the 49ers sideline. He’d promised Williams the intercepted ball and needed to make a delivery now that the manifestation was complete. 

“But I could not find big Silverback anywhere,” Lucas said in the 49ers locker room, referring to Williams’ self-given nickname. “So I just took off down the sideline. I wanted to make sure that everyone saw this was going to be my field tonight.”

Williams did ultimately get the football, and he saved it for Lucas, who proudly cradled it in the locker room after the 49ers’ dramatic win.

Lucas contributed more than just the pick; he’d also delivered a clutch sack on yet another Saleh blitz call during the Raiders’ final drive. So just like the week prior against the Denver Broncos, Lucas had delivered the type of versatile performance — effective in both coverage and on the pass rush — that thrusts players into 53-man roster conversations. 

After coming from the Detroit Lions to the 49ers last season, Lucas didn’t make the cut. He instead ended up on the 49ers’ practice squad. Lucas became a key member of the scout team, playing both DB and receiver and therefore calling himself “the Travis Hunter of the 49ers”, but he grew frustrated that his role wasn’t more prominent. 

“There were days I didn't want to get up because I wasn't getting the recognition I wanted,” Lucas said. “But that's just a soft mentality, man. I had to flip the script. I feel like this year is a different story.”

Williams and 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir were the stars who gave Lucas the most guidance as he resolved to emerge from NFL obscurity. 

“That’s why I gave the ball to Trent,” Lucas said. “He's a big homie to me. He's a Hall of Famer. He's a great dude. I spend as much time with him as I can. I get as much knowledge as I can from him. When I make a play, I want to share that love with him.

“I was tired of being on the sideline, man. I was tired of being in [sweatpants] while the homies are out at war. I told myself whatever needs to happen, whatever I need to do. I trained my body like crazy in the offseason. I made sure that people were going to know my name this year.”

In short, Lucas resolved to kick the door down for a roster spot. After two preseason games, with the cutdown looming on Aug. 26, it certainly seems that he’s in line for one. 

Here’s a deeper look into four other key 49ers developments from Saturday.

The rookie linebacker’s preseason debut was rough. Though he looked very fast against Denver, Martin missed two tackles and flew wildly out of position while doing so. There was clearly a massive delta between his potential ceiling and his current floor. This wasn't unexpected — that was Martin’s first game action in about a year because a knee injury limited hm to just five games in his final season at Oklahoma State — and it set the table for serious developmental work.

Based on Martin’s improvement over the week, it’s safe to say that development is off to a good start. Martin led the 49ers with five tackles, including a well-timed sack against O’Connell predicated on some nuanced timing. Martin had to disguise his blitzing intentions long enough to convince the Raiders’ center that he wasn’t coming. 

“I just felt a little more comfortable, and that’s the goal — to just keep getting my feet in the ground and just making the plays that come to me,” Martin said. “I feel a little more clear-headed, too.”

Martin is still far from a finished product — he did miss two more tackles on Saturday. But Martin was clearly more comfortable, to the point that it’s now possible to see him making a serious bid for the 49ers’ No. 3 linebacker job at some point this season. The physical talent is there. He must continue corralling it in a game of inches.

Two issues, a calf and a contact, are keeping wideout Jauan Jennings in limbo. So with the regular season opener now less than three weeks away, Pearsall is projecting to be the 49ers’ No. 1 receiver in their Sept. 7 debut at Seattle.

Given their roster issues, the 49ers remain interested in adding more veteran depth at the position in general. Their reported attempt to trade for receiver John Metchie III is further evidence of this.

Long story short: It's a good thing that Pearsall's rapport with Purdy seems to be thriving. In 2024, despite Pearsall's hot finish to the season, it was very much a work in progress.

"Ricky's a really good route runner, but sometimes he gets too concerned with beating a guy and understanding he's got to do it within the time that Brock's looking at him," Shanahan said after the game. "And that's something those guys have really been working through and getting good at."

Saturday’s opening drive told the story of a QB and a receiver who are fully in sync — and that was a corroboration of the fireworks Purdy and Pearsall have delivered in practice this month.

Pearsall broke off script to stop a crossing route on a rollout — and Purdy recognized this, fooling a linebacker in coverage for a tight completion. Then, Purdy squeezed in a perfect dart on 3rd-and-18 — and Pearsall was clearly ready for his quarterback’s hurried timing and intentionally underthrown pass, which was designed to fit just underneath the Raiders’ deep dropping coverage.

"I feel it's pretty natural for both of us — our chemistry," Purdy said.

The kicker made a significant adjustment to his form this offseason, shortening from three pre-kick strides to just two in the interest of improving accuracy. But Moody had said that the change would come at the cost of some range on his kicks. 

So it was fair to wonder if Moody might go back to three strides as he lined up for Saturday's game winner from 59 yards out. 

The answer: No. Two strides were enough. 

“I think my range today would’ve been 63 [yards],” Moody said. “Anything past that — if we’re trying to attempt a 70-yarder — we would’ve taken extra step. But that was still the same two-step approach.”

That was one of many good signs from Moody during Saturday’s confidence-building extravaganza. Although preseason stats won't count on his career ledger, he became the first NFL kicker since 2017 to connect on both a game-tying and game-winning field goal in the final minute. The 49ers needed to see Moody successfully work through a fire, and he did just that on Saturday. 

• Rookie Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty spent the first part of his outing barreling over 49ers defenders, including Lenoir. But the first tackler to truly stonewall the bruiser was second-year 49ers linebacker Tatum Bethune, who popped Jeanty with a fierce hit that sent him to the injury tent. Later on, fellow 49ers linebacker Dee Winters also notched a violent takedown against Jeanty.

The 49ers were down seven defensive linemen projected to make the 53-man roster, so it wouldn’t be smart to read far into team-wide performance on run defense. But we can assess individual performances, and Saleh has certainly noted which of his linebackers lowered the boom on Jeanty.

• Linebacker Curtis Robinson, who recently returned from an ACL tear, also delivered a big hit. This one came on kick coverage. That was a key moment in Robinson’s comeback as he strives to earn a depth linebacker spot with his special teams play. 

• Defensive end Trevis Gipson led the 49ers with four pressures, including a sack. He’s one of the veterans who may be able to give the 49ers quality fill-in work in case some of their injury problems persist into Week 1. 

• The 49ers will practice on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday this week. Their goal is to simulate the preparation leading into a regular season game for their final "dress rehearsal" of this preseason.

Expect some starters such as Purdy to play again Saturday. Also prepare for the Los Angeles Chargers, who feature a pair of prominent 49ers from different eras: Head coach Jim Harbaugh and quarterback Trey Lance.