4 unreasonable overreactions to 49ers' preseason win over Saints

The 49ers beat the Saints in preseason action, and it's only natural for fans to jump to unnecessary conclusions.

NFL preseason football tells you a lot and nothing at the same time.

It's a great indicator for which fringe players are standing out and which ones aren't, while the coaching staff never tries installing meaningful plays and schemes while frequently benching the most important players.

Oh, and no one cares about the final score.

The San Francisco 49ers are now 1-1 in preseason action after defeating the New Orleans Saints 16-10 at Levi's Stadium Sunday night. That tells us almost nothing about how the Niners will fare this season, and no one would be wise to bump head coach Kyle Shanahan's squad down from being a top Super Bowl competitor.

So, aside from some individual player and depth chart analysis, Sunday's contest reveals very little by the way of conclusions.

Which means these overreactions probably aren't necessary.

Overreaction No. 1: Brock Purdy is nothing without his All-Pro supporting cast

Take a glimpse at social media, and you're likely to find plenty of criticisms surrounding quarterback Brock Purdy's outing on Sunday night, one that saw him go 2-of-6 for a mere 11 yards while facing constant pressure from NOLA's starting-caliber defense.

Purdy was without the bulk of his starters and had precisely zero of his usual skill players. And while that might mean he isn't as effective without star talent around him, it's also important to know Shanahan wasn't even calling plays, nor was San Francisco implementing any sort of realistic game plan for its quarterback.

When it matters, Purdy will have a proper game plan and plenty of support. Panic then if things go poorly for him, not now.

Overreaction No. 2: 49ers offensive line is a problem

If injury attrition destroys the 49ers offensive line, it'll be trouble. But that line could be applied to 31 other teams, too.

Yes, Purdy was under constant pressure for his three drives, while backup quarterback Josh Dobbs was forced a scramble aplenty. But, it's important to acknowledge that four key starters from this group are missing: Trent Williams (holdout), Aaron Banks (finger), Jon Feliciano (knee) and Spencer Burford (hand).

Including Williams, all four are likely to be back on the field by the regular season, meaning the O-line should have a massive uptick in potency.

Overreaction No. 3: 49ers run game is stagnant without Christian McCaffrey

For starters, see above regarding the O-line. About the first 2 or 3 yards of a rusher's attempt is entirely contingent upon this unit's proper blocks.

Second, any ground attack below All-Pro Christian McCaffrey is going to be less potent.

The Niners struggled to move the ball on the ground against New Orleans, yes. Rookie Cody Schrader, who got the start, averaged just 2.1 yards per carry on seven tries, while veteran Matt Breida fared little better by netting an average of 3.4 on his own seven attempts.

In fact, the bulk of San Francisco's ground-game total of 93 yards came from Dobbs' 25 total yards of scrambles.

Getting McCaffrey and third-year pro Jordan Mason into the mix will help matters a lot, while a proper blocking unit up front matters, too.

Overreaction No. 4: 49ers are thin at wide receiver

It'd be a problem if there was no resolution in sight for wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who still doesn't have a new contract but hasn't been traded yet either.

However, signs are pointing to him retaking the field in the regular season, joined by Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings, which is arguably one of the best trios in the league at the position.

True, the very back end of the wide receiver depth chart hasn't been impressive aside from rookie Jacob Cowing, who led all 49ers pass catchers with 51 yards on Sunday. Fellow rookie Ricky Pearsall is dealing with a shoulder injury, while Danny Gray, Ronnie Bell and Trent Taylor have done little to suggest they're worthy additions to the 53-man roster.

If the Niners ultimately have to rely on that end of the depth chart, they'll be in trouble. But that's a massive "if."

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