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Cowboys vs. 49ers: Preseason Week 1 grades and analysis for San Francisco

By Aaron Tan

Jalen Hurd #17 of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Jalen Hurd #17 of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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SANTA CLARA, CA – DECEMBER 23: Robbie Gould #9 of the San Francisco 49ers kicks a field goal against the Chicago Bears during their NFL game at Levi’s Stadium on December 23, 2018 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA – DECEMBER 23: Robbie Gould #9 of the San Francisco 49ers kicks a field goal against the Chicago Bears during their NFL game at Levi’s Stadium on December 23, 2018 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

Special Teams: B+

I’m going to give the entire special teams unit a grade of a B+ as a whole because it was very solid all-around effort by the entire group.

Punter Mitch Wishnowsky was absolutely incredible on his punts, pinning the Cowboys deep inside their own territory on the majority of his punts. He had one that was so close to going out-of-bounds at the one-yard line, but the football decided to roll into the endzone.

However, it wasn’t all rainbows and sunshine for Wishnowsky, who also worked kickoffs. He had a kickoff that went out-of-bounds, which is a penalty that allowed the opposing team to start at their 40-yard line. Wishnowsky will not be able to do that in a real NFL game, or the 49ers are going to have to find a different solution for kickoffs.

However, Wishnowsky had a great day overall. This tweet from Rob Lowder sums it up pretty well:

Robbie Gould made both of his extra point attempts and hit a 53-yard field goal that came out in an extremely odd fashion but still somehow barely made it through the uprights. I’m not worried, as Gould has been one of the league’s most consistent kickers in past years.

Next. 49ers sit starters in first preseason game. dark

Overall, the 49ers played really well for a game in which the team featured mostly backup players. Deebo Samuel, Jalen Hurd and Dre Greenlaw are three rookies that stole the show tonight and should be important contributors for a long time. 49ers fans should be excited for them, and more importantly, for the 2019 season.