Defensive coordinator Steve Wilks opened up his press conference on Tuesday in a complimentary manner, highlighting his unit's bounce back energy following the team's 34-7 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.
"The energy was there. There was great communication, and the ones then playing the game," Wilks said. "It was good to see them get back in the rhythm. And then, as (head coach) Kyle (Shanahan) mentioned, the twos and threes persevered through and got better. So, I don't want to give a number, but I was very pleased with how they responded."
It appears that competitive fire carried straight into Wednesday's workout with the unit coming up with two interceptions and a slew of pass breakups during one-on-ones and 11-on-11 drills.
Third-year linebacker Curtis Robinson recorded one of those picks and nearly secured a second just before the team transitioned to red zone drills. Veteran safety Tashaun Gipson Sr. secured interception No. 2 of the day in the end zone. Cornerback Deommodore Lenoir tipped a pass intended for wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. and Gipson Sr. made the grab.
In addition to Lenoir's pass defended, linebacker Fred Warner and safety Talanoa Hufanga also logged a pass breakup each.
Quarterback Check-In
As was the case on Tuesday, the team's projected starting quarterback Brock Purdy, took the lion's share of the reps in Wednesday's practice and connected on 12-of-19 pass attempts. He had a solid go during red zone drills hitting wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk for a touchdown with cornerback Ambry Thomas in coverage, and he later fired to wideout Deebo Samuel Sr. in the back right corner for the score.
Heading into Saturday's second preseason game versus the Denver Broncos, the plan at quarterback has not been solidified. Shanahan did note he's leaning toward a similar plan to the opener against the Raiders but with Sam Darnold getting the start and Trey Lance stepping in later.
"What we said last week was that we wanted Trey to get the majority of the half so Sam could get the next week," Shanahan said. "We'll see how the next two practices go before we decide for sure."
Per the head coach, no decisions have been made on whether or not the starters will be playing on Saturday, however, at kicker, the plan is to have both players get opportunities throughout the game.
