SANTA CLARA — Sam Darnold's second 49ers preseason game didn't begin well, but on the fifth drive, the veteran quarterback showed why San Francisco brought him to the Bay Area.
Midway through the third quarter against the Denver Broncos at Levi's Stadium, Darnold and the 49ers' offense put together a nine-play drive that was capped by an 11-yard pass to fullback Jack Colletto for the first touchdown of the game.
Darnold completed four of his five pass attempts on that touchdown drive that also included three carries by running back J.P. Mason.
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But things did not start out so smoothly for Darnold.
On his first drive, he lined up behind most of the 49ers' starting offensive line, with the exception of starting left tackle Trent Williams, who was replaced by Jaylon Moore.
Darnold’s first snap was a handoff to Mason followed by a completed pass to the running back. Darnold’s second attempt intended for rookie Ronnie Bell fell incomplete, leading to a punt.
Darnold’s second drive, with an offensive line consisting of backups, also stalled out and ended with a punt, but he connected with receiver Chris Conley and tight end Charlie Woerner on the series.
San Francisco 49ers
The offensive line didn't do Darnold any favors with his best pass attempt to Jauan Jennings for 21 yards negated by a holding penalty on center Jon Feliciano. The final play of the drive resulted in a nine-yard loss when Darnold was sacked after the pocket collapsed.
Darnold’s third drive under center ended in another punt. The series started out decently with Mason in the backfield moving the ball well on two carries. After a completion to Bell, Nick Zakelj was called for a false start, moving the 49ers backwards.
After another completion to Bell, Darnold was sacked for a loss of seven yards. In his final play of the first half, Darnold scrambled up the middle for 10 yards but was unable to move the sticks.
Darnold finished the half completing five of his six passes for 48 yards.
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Coach Kyle Shanahan felt the need to get Darnold more game reps and allowed the sixth-year pro to play the first two third-quarter series.
Darnold finished his night completing 11 of his 14 attempts for 108 yards, with one touchdown pass and one interception thrown. The turnover occurred on a pass that glanced off of Bell’s hands and into Broncos cornerback Essaying Bassey’s awaiting arms.