4 biggest concerns from 49ers preseason win vs. Raiders

The 49ers pulled off an impressive preseason win over the Raiders on Sunday, yet these four issues don’t seem to be solved just yet.

If the San Francisco 49ers were treating their 2021 preseason finale like a dress rehearsal for the upcoming regular season, or at least the first half, one might expect head coach Kyle Shanahan’s squad to be awfully good this year.

OK, it’s still just a preseason game. And the visiting Las Vegas Raiders still elected to rest a good chunk of their starters, including starting quarterback Derek Carr, so all exhibition hot takes need to be taken with a small grain of salt.

But there is something to be said about a one-sided 34-10 victory regardless of the context.

Amid all the positives, there are some negative takeaways and concerns that could potentially lead into the regular season.

Let’s take a look at four that stood out from the Niners’ otherwise dominant preseason victory.

No. 4: 49ers receivers still dropping Trey Lance’s passes

It’s been one of the unfortunate themes from San Francisco’s preseason campaign this year: pass-catchers struggling to hold onto throws from rookie quarterback Trey Lance.

Lance already entered preseason Week 3 with seven passes dropped by his receivers, the most of any quarterback by that point, and he was dogged again by three more drops versus Las Vegas, including two by wide receiver Jalen Hurd, who is in a battle to make the roster.

OK, true. Lance does have quite the fastball. And some may make the argument Lance’s spiral isn’t quite as refined as it could be.

But there were plenty of FCS-level receivers at North Dakota State who had no trouble hauling in Lance’s heaters. Considering Lance’s targets now include NFL-level weapons, it’ll be vital the 49ers’ early dropsies need to go away sooner than later.