Game 2 of the San Francisco 49ers' three-game preseason slate will take place at Levi's Stadium against the New Orleans Saints.

The second preseason matchup of the year for the 49ers takes on a different tone given the cancellation of their joint practices with the Saints the week before the contest. Without joint practices, the 49ers' calendar gets thrown out of whack. That may change how they choose to play out the rest of their preseason slate.

It makes things at least a little more interesting for an exhibition game. The 49ers already had a handful of things to watch for Sunday night, but the new-look calendar added a wrinkle. Here are the things we're watching for in the 49ers-Saints preseason matchup:

How do the starters look?

It sounds like the 49ers starters will be on the field for at least a little bit against the Saints. Since they didn't get joint practices in, San Francisco's coaching staff will want to get a look at their starters against another team. If the offense goes on a long drive, they might only get one series. If it's a short drive, they may stay in longer. One preseason game won't make or break them, but it would be a good sign if they're dominant in whatever limited action they get.

Rookie redux

Right guard Dominick Puni, cornerback Renardo Green, safety Malik Mustapha and linebacker Tatum Bethune all had good moments in their preseason debuts. The key is stringing more of those moments together across multiple games. This week will be a big one for the first-year players to show some consistency. It'll also be big for wide receiver Jacob Cowing if he's able to play after missing the opener with a hamstring injury.

We will, we will Rock Ya-Sin

Cornerback Rock Ya-Sin was one of the Week 1 standouts. He had a couple pass breakups and showed off good physicality at outside corner. His playing time made it seem like he could just be eating snaps for the 49ers' beat-up defense. However, he played well enough that he might just be playing his way into a roster spot. Another good game would help him in the quest for the 53-man roster.

Kickoff coverage

The 49ers' first kickoff of the year was returned 63 yards. It would be better if that didn't happen again against the Saints. If it does, the 49ers may have a huge problem.

Backup QB battle

Brandon Allen leads Josh Dobbs in the backup quarterback battle. Allen got the start in Week 1 and generally looked better than Dobbs. Part of the problem for Dobbs was the personnel around him. It'll be interesting to see if he gets reps before Allen, and how he responds with a better supporting cast. If it's Allen getting the reps ahead of Dobbs, it may spell the end of the backup QB competition.

Will a DE step up?

The 49ers managed only five pressures in the preseason opener. Two of those were veteran defensive end Alex Barrett, who isn't likely to make the team. Another one of them came from linebacker Zeke Turner, who was released Wednesday. San Francisco needs another DE to step up to help round out a rotation with Nick Bosa, Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos. Perhaps Barrett is the answer. If he's not, one of Jonathan Garvin, Robert Beal Jr. or Sam Okuayinonu need to step up against the Saints.

This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Can the rookies flash again, plus 5 other things to watch in 49ers preseason matchup with Saints