Welcome back to the third game day of the 2017 season! The San Francisco 49ers are back in action in what is generally described as the “dress rehearsal” game of the preseason. The 49ers will look to impress on a national stage on the road against the Minnesota Vikings. The game is scheduled to air nationally on NBC, with a 5 p.m. PT kickoff. NFL Network will offer a re-air of the game at 10:30 p.m. PT tonight.
The 49ers are halfway through the preseason, and their starting lineup is quickly coming into shape. This week saw the SAM linebacker position effectively locked down. The team released long-time veteran Ahmad Brooks, and head Kyle Shanahan announced that Eli Harold was indeed the starter.
The 49ers are planning on sending out their starters for the entire first half, and then will take halftime to decide if the starters will get some third quarter playing time. Whenever the starters do come out, the most notable backup this time around might be C.J. Beathard. He entered camp as the third string quarterback, behind Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley. He took third team snaps in Week 1, and then took second team snaps in Week 2. Kyle Shanahan said the competition was ongoing, but back-to-back weeks getting No. 2 snaps seems like a pretty big deal for the rookie QB.
The team will announce before the game who will not play, but one player we know will sit is free safety Jimmie Ward. The team activated him off the PUP list on Wednesday. He will likely be ready to play on Thursday in the preseason finale, but I imagine we’ll learn more either Sunday or Monday following the Vikings game.
Nuts and bolts
Location: U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN
Game time: Sunday, August 27, 5 p.m. PT
TV channel: NBC
Online streaming: NBC Sports Live Stream, NFL Game Pass
NFL Network Replay: Sun Aug 27 10:30 p.m.
Radio: 680-AM, 107.7 (Ted Robinson, Tim Ryan) | Full listings
Spanish Radio: KTRB 860-AM (Jesus Zarate, Luis Landero)
Matchup history: 49ers lead preseason series 5-3
Announcers: Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya (sideline)
Enemy blog: Daily Norseman
Twitter: @ninersnation
Facebook: Go ahead and give us a like!
Preseason schedule
Friday, August 11: 27-17 win over Kansas City Chiefs
Saturday, August 19: 33-14 loss to the Denver Broncos
Sunday, August 27: @ Minnesota Vikings, NBC, 5 p.m. PT - National game
Thursday, August 31: vs. Los Angeles Chargers, CBS, 7 p.m. PT
Regular season schedule
Week 1: vs. Carolina Panthers, 1:25 p.m., FOX, Sunday, September 10
Week 2: @ Seattle Seahawks, 1:25 p.m., FOX, Sunday, September 17
Week 3: vs. Los Angeles Rams, 5:25 p.m., NFL Network, Thursday, September 21
Week 4: @ Arizona Cardinals, 1:05 p.m., FOX, Sunday, October 1
Week 5: @ Indianapolis Colts, 10:00 a.m., FOX, Sunday, October 8
Week 6: @ Washington, 10:00 a.m., FOX, Sunday, October 15
Week 7: vs. Dallas Cowboys, 1:05 p.m., FOX, Sunday, October 22
Week 8: @ Philadelphia Eagles, 10:00 a.m., FOX, Sunday, October 29
Week 9: vs. Arizona Cardinals, 1:05 p.m., FOX, Sunday, November 5
Week 10: vs. New York Giants, 1:25 p.m., FOX, Sunday, November 12
Week 11: BYE
Week 12: vs. Seattle Seahawks, 1:05 p.m., FOX, November 26
Week 13: @ Chicago Bears, 10:00 a.m., FOX, Sunday, December 3
Week 14: @ Houston Texans, 10:00 a.m., FOX, Sunday, December 10
Week 15: vs. Tennessee Titans, 1:25 p.m., CBS, Sunday, December 17
Week 16: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, 1:05 p.m., CBS, Sunday, December 24
Week 17: @ Los Angeles Rams, 1:25 p.m., FOX, Sunday, December 31