The San Francisco 49ers spent plenty of time working on red-zone offense and red-zone defense on Thursday. Despite not wearing pads, the tight quarters and scoring opportunities made the session very competitive.
The highlight of practice came in a move-the-ball period. The offense was down 26-20, needing a touchdown with only one timeout and less than a minute on the team's practice field scoreboard.
On a 4th-and-9, Colin Kaepernick kept the drive alive with a deep-middle pass to Anquan Boldin for 14 yards and a first down. After Torrey Smith drew a pass-interference penalty in the end zone, Kaepernick finished the drive with a go-ahead touchdown pass to Garrett Celek.
Other Notable Observations:
- It's important to give credit where credit is due. The 49ers cornerbacks played very well during the 1-on-1 period against the wide receivers. Tramaine Brock, Keith Reaser and safety Jermaine Whitehead all recorded pass breakups in the end zone.
- Kaepernick threw multiple touchdowns to Smith on the day. The scoring plays came in 1-on-1 and team periods, respectively.
- Boldin made one of the best catches of the day during the 1-on-1 period. With a cornerback in perfect coverage, No. 81 reached over the defender and took away what looked like a possible interception.
- Jarryd Hayne made a full-extension catch in the middle of the field during team drills. It didn't gain many yards, but the rookie running back's reception was sweet.
- The second-team defense beat the second-team offense in their move-the-ball drive. The defensive series was highlighted by a batted-down pass from Arik Armstead.
