It’s not often that all eyes are on the right guard when a team makes its first television appearance of the season.
But that was the case for the San Francisco 49ers and rookie Dominick Puni, who was one of the few possible Week 1 starters to take the field Saturday against the Tennessee Titans.
How did Puni fare in his first live NFL action? Keep reading to see where he — and five other 49ers — landed on the naughty-and-list list following the 17-13 loss.
Standouts from the game …
G Dominick Puni
The 49ers have been impressed with the third-round draft pick’s strength and poise over the first three weeks of training camp. He looked exactly the same against the Titans.
Puni started at right guard alongside regular offensive line starters Colton McKivitz and Aaron Banks. He stood out with strong blocks on Jordan Mason’s final two runs of the opening series — a 3-yard gain and a 4-yard touchdown on which Puni made an initial block, then caught up with the play to help shove (and tug) Mason across the goal line.
.@jpmason27 making moves in Music City.
📱 NFL+ // https://t.co/KTh0i4nCVJ pic.twitter.com/B8Nw3yZLSL
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) August 10, 2024
Kyle Shanahan admitted he doesn’t scrutinize the offensive line during games unless something bad happens, and he said there were no obvious lapses when Puni was on the field.
“I have a feeling he did pretty good, but I’ll know when I get on the plane,” he said.
While McKivitz and Banks exited after the first series, Puni remained in for the first half. The 49ers seem to grow more comfortable with the prospect of him starting Week 1 against the New York Jets with every outing.
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S Malik Mustapha
He had the defensive play of the game for San Francisco late in the second quarter when he stonewalled Titans running back Hassan Haskins at the 2-yard line on fourth down.
The 49ers drafted Mustapha in the fourth round this year because they liked his combination of smarts and aggression, especially near the line of scrimmage. That’s what happened when the Titans tried to punch the ball in from two yards out. Mustapha, who was lined up six yards deep in the end zone, read the play, drove forward and hit the 228-pound Haskins so hard, he was knocked backward two yards.
Mustapha essentially has been the team’s third safety in training camp behind Ji’Ayir Brown and George Odum. Another safety, Talanoa Hufanga, might get worked into practices next week following his recovery from a Nov. 19 ACL tear. The 49ers also recently signed veteran Tracy Walker III, making safety one of the deeper units on the team.
The rook trucked ’em at Nissan Stadium 🛻
📲 NFL+ // https://t.co/KTh0i4nCVJ pic.twitter.com/MW5hO0biGq
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) August 11, 2024
RB Jordan Mason
Breaking tackles at the end of games, when the defense is worn down, is one thing. But can a tailback do it at the beginning when everyone is fresh?
Mason answered with an emphatic yes Saturday, rushing for 34 yards on six carries, including the 4-yard touchdown on the opening series.
He wasn’t perfect. He couldn’t haul in a high, hard pass from Allen at the sideline that went through his hands.
Still, he ran the way he does when he’s been tapped to close out games in the regular season — by breaking through arm tackles and punishing second-level defenders. Mason is battling Elijah Mitchell, out with a hamstring strain Saturday, for the role of No. 2 runner this season. The fact that Mason started the contest, then watched safely from the sideline the rest of the way hints at how the team values him this year.
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On the other hand …
It was a very rough outing for Thomas, who left the game late in the second quarter with what turned out to be a broken forearm.
The injury occurred on a dubious play for the 49ers — a third-and-10 screen pass to running back Julius Chestnut that gained 36 yards thanks to missed tackles by Thomas and safety Tayler Hawkins.
That wasn’t Thomas’ only whiff of the day. Titans return man Kearis Jackson slipped through his tackle attempt on a 63-yard return in the first quarter. Thomas also was flagged for holding on the ensuing defensive series.
DY-NA-MIC!! @king_kearis fought hard on this return 💪
📱: Stream #SFvsTEN on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/1URmA3udxN
— NFL (@NFL) August 10, 2024
Thomas started the contest because the 49ers’ top three cornerbacks — Charvarius Ward, Deommodore Lenoir and Isaac Yiadom — didn’t suit up. Thomas, who was the team’s No. 3 cornerback in the second half of 2023, will now land on an injury list.
Fortunately for the 49ers, cornerback is perhaps their deepest position this summer with newcomers Yiadom, Rock Ya-Sin and Renardo Green playing well. Second-year player Darrell Luter Jr. also seems poised to return from the injury that kept him out of the most recent block of practices.
Bell had two perfectly thrown passes from Allen slip through his gloves. He was able to gather in the first following a bobble, but he dropped the second, a would-be big gain down the left sideline in the second quarter. Bell also was flagged for holding in the third quarter.
The drop was uncharacteristic of Bell this summer. He’s been prominent in practice for making difficult, contested catches over the middle on throws from both Allen and Joshua Dobbs.
Depending on how things turn out with Brandon Aiyuk, the 49ers could have a major role for a heretofore little-used receiver this season. Bell, Chris Conley, Ricky Pearsall, Trent Taylor, Jacob Cowing and Danny Gray are jockeying for position on the depth chart. Conley may be leading the competition right now. He started on Saturday, caught two passes on two targets for 30 yards and didn’t play beyond the first quarter.
McGill lands on this list because he had two encroachment penalties, including one at the San Francisco 8-yard line late in the first quarter. The Titans scored on the next play.
It didn’t help that the player lined up next to him for much of the evening, Kalia Davis, had a strong outing. Davis made three hits in the backfield and had a sack early in the fourth quarter.
The 49ers’ first three defensive tackle spots are occupied by Javon Hargrave, Maliek Collins and Jordan Elliott. Kevin Givens, Davis, McGill, Shakel Brown and Evan Anderson are competing for the next two.
(Photo of Jordan Mason: Justin Ford / Getty Images)
