The San Francisco 49ers found the end zone for the first time this preseason and earned their first victory at Levi’s Stadium, defeating the San Diego Chargers 21-7.
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The Chargers got things started early when Philip Rivers led a 10-play, 71-yard drive capped by a 10-yard touchdown pass to veteran tight end Antonio Gates in the final minute of the opening quarter. Rivers was sharp, going nine-of-10 for 85 yards. Colin Kaepernick, on the other hand, continued to struggle. He led the 49ers on a second quarter field goal drive but was just six-of-12 for 59 yards, lost a fumble in the game and again couldn’t get the 49ers into the end zone.
Blaine Gabbert entered the game in relief of Kaepernick and found Vance McDonald for a six-yard touchdown, the 49ers first of the preseason. Gabbert finished seven-of-11 for 66 yards before giving way to Josh Johnson. After another field goal from Phil Dawson, Johnson led the 49ers on a seven-play, 64-yard drive that ended in a 27-yard touchdown run by Glenn Winston. Winston carried the ball eight times for 58 yards.
Outside of that opening drive, the Chargers couldn’t get much going, finishing with just 254 total yards while the 49ers had 301.
The 49ers will conclude their preseason Thursday night when they travel to Houston to take on the Texans while the Chargers will play host to the Arizona Cardinals.
Stay tuned to FanSided as we get you ready for the start of the 2014 football season over the next few weeks. College Football will kickoff on August 28, headlined by games between the South Carolina Gamecocks and Texas A&M Aggies and the Boise State Broncos and Ole Miss Rebels while the pros will start their regular season a week later when the world champion Seattle Seahawks host the Green Bay Packers.