The San Francisco 49ers opened their preseason slate on Thursday night, hosting the Tennessee Titans at Levi's Stadium. San Francisco came away with a 19-13 loss, though the result wasn't really the point of the night.
With several veteran starters held out of the lineup, the game gave the 49ers a first real look at their rookies, young players and newcomers in a live setting. Kurtis Rourke and Adrian Martinez split time running the offense with the regulars on the sideline, and Rourke in particular used the opportunity well before his night was cut short.
The quarterback completed 12 of 14 passes for 101 yards, finishing with a 96.7 passer rating in limited action. He had been playing well against Titans quarterback Cam Ward when he suffered an injury running between the tackles on an attempted touchdown.
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Rourke left the game in the second quarter and did not return, with Martinez taking over under center. He was later taken to the hospital as a precaution after having trouble breathing on the sideline.
Kyle Shanahan said afterward that the injury does not appear to be serious, though the team wanted to be careful given the breathing issues.
"They said ribs, he was struggling to breathe so they took him to the hospital just to check on him and make sure he's alright," Shanahan said. "X-rays in here didn't show it was broken. They just wanted to get more imaging and find out, so they weren't too concerned. I don't want to downplay it but I don't want to overplay it either."
Before leaving the game, Rourke gave the coaching staff plenty to like. He processed the field quickly, got rid of the ball before pressure could get to him, picked up a first down on his legs and connected with De'Zhaun Stribling on a well-placed deep ball down the right sideline.
It was the kind of performance that suggests Rourke could develop into a reliable backup option, with a chance to push for more as camp continues.
Stribling was a big part of the passing game in his own right during the first half. He caught seven passes for 63 yards, including a 32-yard grab from Rourke on third-and-five that helped extend a second-quarter touchdown drive.
