49ers’ Kyle Shanahan gives promising update on injured lineman after beating Chargers

Kyle Shanahan had reason for optimism on the injury front, even after watching one of his linemen limp off the field. Following the San Francisco 49ers’ 41-17 preseason win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday night, the head coach offered a hopeful update on offensive lineman Austen Pleasants.

Pleasants had a rough evening before it ended early. He drew a heavy workload at left guard as the 49ers continue searching for an answer at the position, but part of his night included a missed block that led to a Chargers pick-six.

He then went down with an apparent knee injury midway through the third quarter, looking as if his knee buckled, and made his way to the medical tent.

Despite the ugly optics, Shanahan came away encouraged. He was hopeful Pleasants’ knee was not injured too severely and expects the four-man competition at left guard to go down to the wire. The coach also noted that Robert Jones is dealing with an undisclosed injury and will likely miss next week’s preseason finale in Las Vegas.

The good news for Pleasants was one of the few blemishes on an otherwise dominant night for San Francisco. The 49ers built a commanding lead, with Adrian Martinez scrambling for a nine-yard touchdown run before finding Jordan Watkins for a 17-yard score after a Nick Martin forced fumble on a kickoff, capping a third straight scoring drive that pushed the lead to 41-9.

The Chargers added a late touchdown and two-point conversion to reach the final margin.

The victory was a three-phase effort, with the offense, defense, and special teams all contributing. Jacob Cowing turned in an explosive punt return, while the ground game got scoring runs from Khalil Herbert and Sincere McCormick, the latter also breaking free for a 37-yard gain.

With roster cutdowns looming, the left guard picture remains San Francisco’s most pressing preseason question. On a brighter note, tight end George Kittle received an encouraging update in his recovery from a torn right Achilles, giving him a realistic chance to return for the season opener,

Pleasants entered the mix Thursday and only created more questions at the spot. A clean bill of health would keep him in a race that Shanahan expects to stay unsettled right up to the wire, with the finale at the Raiders offering one last audition.

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