HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — The 49ers bottled up Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty for the most part Thursday, similar to what Seattle did in a preseason game a week earlier in holding him to minus-1 yard on three carries.
But Jeanty still provided a reminder in the joint practice of why he was drafted sixth overall this year by Las Vegas.
He found an opening to the left side of the offensive line, hit the hole hard and was off and running for a 72-yard touchdown.
“He learns and he grows with every single experience,” Raiders quarterback Geno Smith said. “That's something that's going to make him a great player because he's getting better (each) day. He definitely took another step today.”
The teams practiced in front of more than 2,000 fans at the Raiders' facility, and they will meet in a preseason game Saturday at Allegiant Stadium. The domed stadium will provide a much different atmosphere than the outside fields in which the temperatures pushed 100 degrees.
San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan said he is planning to play at least some starters on Saturday, including possibly quarterback Brock Purdy for the first time this preseason. But the banged-up 49ers are missing several potential starters to injuries that kept them out of the practice Thursday and also will for the upcoming game.
Defensive end Nick Bosa (neck) was among those not practicing, a list that included safety Jason Pinnock (heel), cornerback Tre Brown (heel), guard Ben Bartch (elbow), cornerback Upton Stout (calf), wide receiver Jordan Watkins (ankle) and defensive end Robert Beal (abductor). Then on Thursday, defensive tackle C.J. West hyperextended his knee and is expected to miss at least one week.
“I think there are three healthy starters on defense right now, so I have to decide on those three guys,” Shanahan said about the game Saturday “But it does put a lot more pressure on the threes. The twos become the ones, the threes become the twos, and we don’t really have threes right now. I look at it all and how much time you’re getting in the next few weeks, and I’d like to get a lot of work for as many guys as I can on Saturday.”
The Raiders are much healthier, but rookie wide receiver Dont'e Thornton — who has been practicing with the starters — banged his head and left practice. Raiders coach Pete Carroll said he didn't think the injury was serious.
Keeping it mostly calm
The intensity between the former Bay Area rivals increased as the temperatures rose, but the four skirmishes were minor.
“We were out here missing 20 guys,” Shanahan said. “We have some positions that don’t really have enough to go. If you get punched and you throw a punch back, I told the guys, it shows how mentally weak you are because all you’re going to do is leave five guys left to do the whole practice.”
Carroll said it was important for the focus to be on the tasks at hand.
“We come here to play good football and get better, and I think both sides did a great job of showing that,” Carroll said.
Pumping up a teammate
Raiders wide receiver Tre Tucker dropped a pass at one point in the practice, and Smith immediately went over and gave him a pep talk.
Tucker responded by making two outstanding touchdown catches, one falling on his back in the end zone and the other over 49ers standout cornerback Deommodore Lenoir.
“We strive for perfection, but we’re all human,” Smith said. “The main thing whenever a guy makes a mistake or anything happens out there that we don’t want to happen, it’s about showing that we have each other’s back. That’s what we’re here for, and they do it for me as well.”
Seattle in Las Vegas
The 49ers and Seahawks are NFC West rivals, so it should be a little surprise that the Raiders' defense looked a little familiar to San Francisco players.
Carroll is in his first season in Las Vegas after 14 years in Seattle where he made the Legion of Boom defense among the NFL's fiercest.
“You could see them doing that now, which is pretty cool,” Purdy said. "I think they’re going to continue to get better with it when you’ve got (Raiders defensive end) Maxx Crosby and those guys rushing the pocket. They had a couple good reps today of getting in there, so disruptive, but still pretty good scheme-wise overall. So it was good going up against them.”
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Freelance writer W.G. Ramirez contributed to this report.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Mark Anderson, The Associated Press
