Brock Purdy airmailed a 3rd-and-2 pass to George Kittle on the opening drive, but the two connected on fourth down to keep the drive alive.
Kaelon Black had a nine-yard run. Brandin Cooks caught a 13-yard pass, and Christian McCaffrey’s 11-yard gain put the San Francisco 49ers in a goal-to-go situation. After Kyle Juszczyk’s first carry of the season, McCaffrey scored a touchdown for the seventh straight game to give the 49ers an early 7-0 lead.
The 49ers defense forced a three-and-out. Upton Stout
returned, and he was involved on a third-down target to Brock Bowers.
Kittle picked up 37 yards on the first play of the second drive. That included a stiff arm after a long catch-and-run—a botched screen pass led to an intentional grounding penalty. The 49ers have been one of the least-penalized teams in the NFL on offense, so that was rare.
On 3rd and 14, Purdy made up for it by scrambling for a first down. The offense found itself behind the sticks again after a false start by Jordan Watkins. So, a team that averages three penalties a game had two in the first quarter.
Purdy recognized man coverage and scrambled for another first down. This time, he picked up 11 yards. The best red-zone offense got another opportunity. Jacob Cowing drew a defensive pass interference penalty in the end zone.
Purdy’s legs paid off for the third time in the drive. A 13-play, 89-yard touchdown made it 14-0 in the first quarter.
On the second drive, Marques Sigle came in for Ji’Ayir Brown at safety. Brown is coming off a brutal performance, so it wasn’t a surprise to see the Niners rotate those two.
Osa Odighizuwa beat Spencer Burford on second down, but Renardo Green gave up the second reception for a first down on the drive. An offside penalty on Sebastian Valdez put Las Vegas inside the 10. Kirk Cousins rushed for a touchdown, cutting the lead to 14-7.
Purdy bounced around in the pocket and found Watkins for a 25-yard gain. It was a long-developing play, but the protection held up and Watkins ran a great route. The 49ers had run 30 plays, and 20 of those were in Raiders territory.
The offensive line surged ahead, allowing McCaffrey to pick up a 4th and 1. That put the Niners in the red zone for the third time in as many drives. On 3rd and 3, McCaffrey was wide open on what looked like a busted coverage. Another red zone trip. Another red zone score, and it was 21-7. This drive took over seven minutes after the offense marched 84 yards on 12 plays.
After returning a kickoff for a touchdown a week ago, Dylan Laube did it again. Laube returned Eddy Pineiro’s kickoff 54 yards. Brown made the tackle. He stayed in at safety—this time, with MSigle.
Nick Bosa had a tackle for loss on the drive. Odighizuwa followed suit, and it was 3rd and 19 after back-to-back tackles for loss. So, despite starting in Niners territory, the Raiders had to settle for a 50+ yard field goal. The kick was good, making it 21-10.
The offense had a chance to put points on the board before halftime, but Maxx Crosby came free and sacked Purdy. An illegal shift penalty meant there would be no further attempts at points for the half.
The 49ers outgained the Raiders 240 to 75 at halftime. They averaged nearly two yards more per play and were 6-for-8 on late downs. Brock Purdy was 8-for-12 for 123 yards and a touchdown. McCaffrey had 70 combined yards from scrimmage. The offense looked exactly how you’d expect it to against the Raiders.
The broadcast said head coach Klint Kubiak was frustrated with how the Raiders performed in the first half. To begin the third quarter, Kirk Cousins fumbled the snap, then threw a pick-six right into the hands of Jaden Dugger. That 35-yard return made it 28-10.
That defensive score made the 49ers one of two teams (the Buccaneers) to score multiple defensive touchdowns.
Cousins and the Raiders threw it to Bowers seemingly every play on the following drive. It was capped off with a touchdown to Bowers, making it 28-17. Brown was in coverage on the play.
Cooks got open on a 2nd-and-8 play to move the sticks. But Purdy had one of his patented interceptions on his next dropback, where he failed to see the underneath defender.
Gracen Halton nearly had an acrobatic interception on a screen. The football gods rewarded Halton, as Bowers fumbled on the next play. Fred Warner’s fifth forced fumble of the season couldn’t have happened at a better time. Coming into Sunday, 11 teams had five or fewer fumbles forced. That’s how incredible Warner is.
After Jacob Cowing’s third-down reception was short, Purdy’s fourth-down sneak attempt went nowhere. So, the Raiders would get the ball right back.
He was going into the end zone, but Bowers fumbled on the goal line. A wild 10-minute sequence full of turnovers and miscues, but the Niners didn’t get hurt by either of their turnovers.
This time, the Niners didn’t turn the ball over. Purdy heaved a deep throw to Watkins, who made a contested catch on a similar route he dropped in a preseason.
This time, Watkins held on for a touchdown, giving the Niners a 35-17 lead.
Bowers gained 33 yards on 3rd-and-9 before Brown tackled him. It was his second chunk play of the drive. But Brown tackled Bowers at the one. Then, the Raiders were tackled in the backfield after Fred Warner leaped over the pile. After an offensive pass interference negated a touchdown, Renardo Green intercepted Cousins.
Black had gains of 16 and 18 on the ensuing drive. The 49ers offense had 16 plays of 10 yards or more in the game at this point. Pineiro’s 35-yard kick made it 38-17.
Renardo Green left with a back injury. Ephesians Prysock took his place at cornerback. Siran Neal also was in for Deommodore Lenoir.
Malik Mustapha’s interception sealed any hopes the Raiders had of a comeback. The 49ers forced four straight turnovers to end the game and stay in first place in the division and conference. They’re 7-1, with the Cowboys on deck.
