What We Learned When Purdy and 49ers Stars Played Off to a Preseason Tie Against the Raiders originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

LAS VEGAS — While there has been no word on a resolution to the entire Brandon Aiyuk saga, it appears he is still a permanent member of the 49ers.

Aiyuk, who was on a hold-in until he had a new contract, traveled with the team to Las Vegas for the 49ers’ final exhibition game.

San Francisco concluded its exhibition schedule with a 24-24 tie against the Las Vegas Raiders on Friday night at Allegiant Stadium.

The 49ers last played here on February 11 in Super Bowl LVIII, losing 25-22 in overtime to the Kansas City Chiefs.

San Francisco hopes to get back into the big game this season and begins the long journey back on Monday, September 9, against the New York Jets at Levi’s Stadium.

As the 49ers inch closer to the season opener, not everything has gone as planned this summer.

Aiyuk and All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams have not practiced due to their respective contract issues. The 49ers are still hoping to have both of them on the field for the opener, but how sharp can they be without participating in training camp?

San Francisco canceled two joint practices with the New Orleans Saints last week over concerns they didn’t have enough fit players for the grueling workouts against another team.

The 49ers’ practice game against the Raiders on Friday night was all about preparing for the start of the regular season.

Brock Purdy, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle were the biggest stars to take the field and they left the game unscathed.

But two key reinforcements to the team’s defence may have been less fortunate.

Here are the key takeaways from the 49ers’ final practice game:

Injuries at key positions

The 49ers have been unable to find a consistent pass-rush threat opposite Nick Bosa in years.

This was supposed to be the year.

While Bosa watched the game from the sidelines, the 49ers started their next two defensive ends: Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos.

Both players left the game with right knee injuries in the first quarter. The severity of the injuries was not immediately known, but any knee injury is a clear cause for concern.

In what can be seen as a positive development, Floyd returned to the 49ers sideline in the second half to watch the end of the game.

The 49ers signed Floyd to a two-year, $20 million contract in the offseason. Floyd has recorded 39.5 sacks over the past four seasons with the Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills.

Gross-Matos, a four-year veteran, is coming off a 4.5-sack season with the Carolina Panthers in 2023, his best ever. The 49ers signed him with the expectation that he could be a rotational player as a defensive end on base downs and move inside to rush the passer.

The 49ers’ top defensive ends after Bosa, Floyd and Gross-Matos are Robert Beal Jr., Alex Barrett and Sam Okuayinonu.

Quality starts from 1s

The 49ers didn’t wait long to show what they hope will be a preview of the regular season.

Purdy immediately got the 49ers’ star players involved in the offense. He threw a deep pass down the left sideline to Samuel on the first snap of the game. Samuel went up to make the catch for Raiders rookie cornerback MJ Devonshire for a gain of 27 yards.

On the next play, Purdy found Kittle between the markers for a 15-yard pitch and catch.

Purdy and Kittle teamed up on the throw and catch of the game during the 49ers’ next drive.

On a third-and-6 play, Purdy completed a pass a split second before defensive end Charles Snowden hit him. Kittle leaped high to complete a 19-yard completion between Las Vegas defensive backs Jaydon Grant and Kana’i Mauga.

The 49ers scored a touchdown on a 4-yard run by Jordan Mason to give them a 10-0 lead in the first quarter.

Purdy completed nine of his first 11 pass attempts for 96 yards before his final throw of the night was intercepted. Cornerback Sam Webb blocked a pass intended for Samuel. The ball was deflected to safety Chris Smith, who intercepted it and returned it 31 yards.

First look at Guerendo

The 49ers were so taken with running back Isaac Guerendo that they selected him in the fourth round.

Guerendo, the fastest running back at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, finally got the chance to show his speed on Friday night.

And his 93-yard kickoff return might be proof why special teams coaches around the league choose to instruct their kickers to shoot the ball through the end zone.

Under the NFL’s new kickoff rule, the starting point for touchbacks is the 30-yard line. During two weeks of the exhibition season, the average starting point for kickoff returns was the 28.3-yard line.

But as Guerendo demonstrated, allowing a kickoff return can have a huge impact on the game.

Guerendo showed off his 4.33 speed as he fielded Daniel Carlson’s kickoff at the 3-yard line, got through the Raiders’ first line of coverage on the left sideline and broke up a tackle attempt by Sam Webb. Guerendo made Carlson miss and then veered all the way back down the field. Webb eventually caught up and tackled him at the Raiders’ 4-yard line.

Two plays later, Patrick Taylor Jr. scored a 3-yard touchdown run for the 49ers.

The 49ers were enamored with Guerendo’s combination of size, speed and potential. He never started a college game during his 27 games in five seasons at Wisconsin and 14 games last season at Louisville.

Guerendo suffered a hamstring injury during the 49ers’ first practice of training camp and returned to practice this week, just in time to make the 49ers’ final exhibition game.

Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast