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San Francisco beat the Chargers 41-17 in Week 2 of the preseason, running three different quarterbacks through the offense and getting a defensive score and an 83-yard punt return touchdown on top of it. A 24-point blowout like this usually means nothing carries over, but a handful of individual performances are worth remembering with a full Week 3 preseason slate still on the schedule.
The highlight is obvious: Cowing turned a punt into an 83-yard touchdown. Less obvious, and arguably more useful, is that he also led San Francisco with seven targets, more than any other receiver on the field, even though he only turned them into two catches for 14 yards. De'Zhaun Stribling and KhaDarel Hodge actually out-produced him in the box score (four catches, 46 yards apiece), but neither saw more than five looks. If San Francisco's passing offense is trusting Cowing with that much volume in a backup-heavy blowout, that's a real signal about where he sits in the pecking order heading into the season.
Brock Purdy got the customary short cameo (4 of 6 for 29 yards, a 77.8 rating) before giving way to the real competition. Mac Jones took the bulk of the remaining snaps and was careful but unspectacular: 6 of 13 for 89 yards, no touchdowns, a 69.1 rating. Adrian Martinez was the opposite — 8 of 17 for 57 yards with a touchdown pass and a rushing score, but also two interceptions and a 35.3 rating. Neither guy won this cleanly; Jones protected the ball better, Martinez flashed more playmaking with his legs and arm.
Justin Herbert's night amounted to one series and two pass attempts (1 of 2, 9 yards) — a formality, nothing more. Trey Lance was the more interesting story on the Chargers' side: 10 of 16 passing for 73 yards plus two carries for 42 yards, including a 37-yard scramble, on a per-touch basis the most explosive player on the field for Los Angeles. DJ Uiagalelei threw for a touchdown of his own (7 of 15, 80 yards, 85.4 rating), but it was Lance's legs that stood out.
McCormick led San Francisco's crowded backfield with six carries for 53 yards, an 8.8 average, well ahead of Zamir White's 12 carries for just 29 yards. His touchdown itself only went for seven yards, but a 37-yard run elsewhere in the game was the actual explosive play. On a per-touch basis, nobody in San Francisco's backfield matched him Saturday.
None of this reorders anyone's actual depth chart with real starters like Herbert, Purdy, and Uiagalelei barely playing. But Trey Lance's burst, Jacob Cowing's target share, and Sincere McCormick's per-carry efficiency are all real, specific data points worth filing away. Check the best ball rankings to see where San Francisco's crowded backfield currently sits, and run any of these names through the mock draft simulator to see how much (or how little) one preseason game actually moves their value. Preseason Week 3 is next. Full box score: ESPN.
