49ers vs. Vikings preseason: 5 key points of emphasis for San Francisco

49ers point of emphasis vs. Vikings No. 2: Cut down on penalties

While not necessarily horrible against Green Bay, the 49ers were still hit with six penalties for 44 yards.

All penalties in the preseason have to be taken with a grain of salt. For starters, players are still getting into game shape and acclimating to real-time action without causing any infractions. Additionally, units are so mix-matched, that there’s not a lot of chemistry between one player and another all the time, so penalties are naturally going to be expected. And going further, those fringe players trying to make the roster are prone to being a little too aggressive and overanxious.

There’s always the reality the officials are going through preseason warmups, too. They’ve got to acclimate.

A year ago, the Niners were squarely in the middle of the penalty picture, flagged a total of 102 times but leading the NFL by far with 20 defensive pass-interference calls against.

While San Francisco’s revamped cornerback room hopes to avoid that, starters aren’t likely to play anyway, and the reservists who see the field versus the Vikings could easily be judged based on how well their coverage is against the nature of any penalties committed.

As a whole, the 49ers will want to ensure even their backups and fringe players are playing as clean a game as possible to help set a good tone heading towards the regular season.