49ers Use QB Platoon To Beat Raiders 34-10
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers got a chance to show off their quarterback platoon before the regular season.
Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance shuttled in and out on the first two drives that ended with touchdown runs for the quarterbacks that led San Francisco to a 34-10 exhibition victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.
"I just wanted to get live action with it," coach Kyle Shanahan said. "We've done it in practice a couple of times and this was the last time before we're going to get in the regular season. So it's the last time you can have the opportunity to do it. I kind of wanted to do it with this game."
Shanahan rotated his two quarterbacks on the first two drives against the Raiders backups as a tune-up for the regular season when he plans to use both Garoppolo and the rookie Lance.
Garoppolo started and was in for the first three plays before Lance entered and handed to Raheem Mostert for a 17-yard gain on a zone read play. Garoppolo returned for the next play and both QBs got five plays on that drive that ended with Garoppolo scrambling for a 1-yard TD.
"You could tell there were a couple of times getting to the line where they're still making calls and things like that," Garoppolo said. "You could tell it's tough on them. So that's what we were trying to do."
The quarterback platoon continued on the next drive with Garoppolo converting a fourth-and-1 sneak before Lance scored two plays later on a keeper from 2 yards.
"I was prepared for it. I think Jimmy was too," Lance said. "It's one of those things where we had repped it. It was good to get game reps and kind of really see how it really feels."
That ended the day for Garoppolo, who completed 4 of 7 passes for 64 yards to go with the two runs.
Lance stayed in the game until the third quarter and finished 6 for 13 for 46 yards.
The Raiders took a different approach, keeping most of their starters back home in Las Vegas. Nathan Peterman got his third straight game of extensive action. He took all but one snap in the preseason as Marcus Mariota nursed an injury and Derek Carr rested.
Peterman went 18 for 29 for 175 yards with a 16-yard TD pass to Nick Bowers.
"We took the approach to evaluate the guys we didn't know too much about," coach Jon Gruden said. "A lot of these guys had college seasons that were interrupted last year. The evaluation was incomplete. You don't tackle in pads, you don't do a lot in pads like you used to. This was the most important call for us so we try to make the right decisions when we cut down the roster."
STAYING HOME
The only projected Week 1 starter on the depth chart who saw action for the Raiders was linebacker Tanner Muse.
Carr, tight end Darren Waller, running backs Josh Jacobs and Kenyan Drake, receivers Henry Ruggs III and Bryan Edwards, and offensive linemen Kolton Miller, Denzelle Good and Richie Incognito are among the projected starters who got no action in the preseason for the Raiders.
"I think you're damned if you do, damned if you don't in a lot of ways," Gruden said. "You lose two or three starters in this game and all the questions will be different."
READY RAHEEM
Mostert made his only appearance of the preseason for the 49ers and needed just one drive to show he's ready for the opener.
Mostert got seven carries on that drive and gained 53 yards before taking the rest of the day off.
BACK TO THE BAY
The Raiders made their first trip back to the Bay Area since moving to Las Vegas last year. With the move, the NFL restarted the exhibition series between the Raiders and 49ers that had been put on hold since 2011 after one man was beaten in a restroom and another was shot multiple times in the Candlestick Park parking lot.
INJURY UPDATE
Niners WR Travis Benjamin left the game with a concussion.
UP NEXT
Raiders: Las Vegas opens the regular season at home vs. Baltimore on Sept. 13.
49ers: San Francisco opens the regular season at Detroit on Sept. 12.