SANTA CLARA — Once he got back to the bench, away from the backslaps and bear hugs, Joe Williams celebrated his 1-yard touchdown run as quietly as he could.
The 49ers running back tapped his chest twice and pointed toward the nighttime sky.
The phrase “meaningless preseason game” does not apply here. Williams spent this week grieving for his brother-in-law, Godfrey Jones Jr., who was shot Monday in broad daylight in Newark, New Jersey. He was 25.
Williams spent Thursday paying tribute in the best way he could.
“He was on my mind the whole game,” he said after the 49ers’ 24-21 victory over the Dallas Cowboys at Levi’s Stadium.