The San Francisco 49ers closed out their preseason with a 30-23 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers at Levi’s Stadium on Saturday, a game defined by turnovers and showcased linebacker Curtis Robinson’s fourth-quarter pick-six. The veteran defender returned an interception 32 yards for the go-ahead score with 6:06 remaining, a play that could strengthen his case for a roster spot as the 49ers trim to 53 players ahead of the August 26 deadline.
The game featured six total turnovers, with San Francisco converting four takeaways into 27 points. Robinson’s interception proved decisive after Chargers rookie quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, who led most of Los Angeles’ snaps, threw into traffic. Uiagalelei finished 16-of-31 for 170 yards, two touchdowns, and one costly interception.
The game was slow to start, as both teams combined for eight punts in the first quarter, the first time that had happened in any NFL game since 2017. The 49ers capitalized on the first major mistake of the night when the Chargers' undrafted rookie Luke Grimm muffed a punt at the end of the opening period. Tanner Mordecai, one of three quarterbacks who saw action for San Francisco, threw a 22-yard touchdown to Demarcus Robinson on the first play of the second quarter for a 6-0 lead. Rookie kicker Jake Moody missed the extra point, continuing questions about his consistency.
The Chargers responded with a 10-play, 43-yard drive ended by a 52-yard Cameron Dicker field goal. Soon after, linebacker Marlowe Wax, an undrafted free agent out of Syracuse, delivered back-to-back run stops before recording a strip sack on Carter Bradley. The fumble recovery set up Uiagalelei’s first pass of the night, a 25-yard touchdown strike to fifth-round pick Oronde Gadsden II that gave Los Angeles a 10-6 lead.
Before halftime, Uiagalelei engineered another drive that ended with Dicker’s 37-yard field goal, pushing the Chargers ahead 13-6. At the break, Los Angeles had outgained San Francisco 220-68, including a 172-51 passing advantage.
Momentum swung in the second half when running back Nyheim Miller-Hines fumbled, and San Francisco capitalized with an eight-play, 52-yard drive capped by a five-yard Jeff Wilson rushing touchdown. A late third-quarter Moody field goal reclaimed a 16-13 lead for the 49ers, but Dicker tied the game at 16 early in the fourth.
That set the stage for Robinson’s interception return, followed by another Grimm muffed punt recovered deep in Chargers territory. Two plays later, Bradley connected with Terique Owens, son of Hall of Famer Terrell Owens, for a 22-yard touchdown, the first catch of Owens’ preseason, extending the lead to 30-16.
Uiagalelei hit Grimm for a 15-yard touchdown with just over a minute left, cutting the deficit to 30-23, but the 49ers recovered the onside kick and closed out the win.
The 49ers finished the preseason at 2-1, while the Chargers went 2-2. San Francisco opens the regular season September 7 against the Seattle Seahawks, while Los Angeles faces the Kansas City Chiefs in Brazil on September 5.
