The Las Vegas Raiders face a tough test in Week 9, squaring off against the NFC-leading San Francisco 49ers. This will be an opportunity for the Raiders to announce themselves as a legitimate playoff contender heading into the second half of the season, but that won’t come easy. To preview the game, Silver and Black Pride reached out to our friends at Niners Nation, and Kyle Posey was kind enough to answer a few questions about the 49ers for Raider Nation.
Q: With the 49ers, we have to start with
injuries. Granted, the team had its bye last week to heal up. So, what’s the status of San Francisco’s key players who have been banged up recently? Also, should the Raiders be worried about playing next to the ominous electrical substation?
A: General manager John Lynch has already ruled out Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel for this game. It seems like their WR2, Demarcus Robinson, will return. The team will still be short-handed at wide receiver. The injury report is forever lengthy with this team. Christian McCaffrey will likely be listed as questionable, although he’s expected to play. I wouldn’t bank on seeing a heavy workload from CMC, even if it’s after a bye week.
The good news is that the 49ers are getting Nick Bosa back; it appears. He’s the engine of the defense. There are a couple of role players who will have questionable designations. One is safety Marques Sigle, who started every game up until an injury in Week 4. It seems like he’s on track to return, but he may not get his spot back.
Maybe the Niners put some voodoo on the substation during their bye so it can finally stop zapping this team with injuries.
Q: On a related note, wide receiver Mike Evans was the 49ers’ biggest offseason addition but likely won’t play on Sunday. What is the offense missing without Evans, and who needs to step up to fill his shoes?
A: Evans is everything the 49ers could have imagined, and then some. He has an explosive play rate of 29.6%. Brock Purdy probably feels like he can throw it to Evans blindfolded and still have the confidence that he’d come down with the reception. Evans has kept the offense on the field countless times on third downs. He’s averaging 17.2 yards per reception on non-red zone targets. He’s objectively been their biggest asset on offense, the same offense that’s No. 1 in most advanced statistics.
There isn’t an Evans replacement on the roster, which is the problem. Not that any team would be able to replace its best player, but the Niners go from 6’5” Evans to sub-6′ Brandin Cooks and Jacob Cowing, or second-year pro Jordan Watkins. Robinson is “fine” as a WR2, but when he was the primary target in 2025, the offense still sputtered. The easy answer is George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey need to step up, but this could be a game where Watkins sees the most targets he has all season.
Q: While everyone knows about Christian McCaffrey at this point, McCaffrey’s rushing attempts are down from 18.3 per game in 2025 to 12.0 so far in 2026. Presumably, that’s because of rookie running back Kaelon Black’s emergence. What can you tell us about Fernando Mendoza’s college teammate’s role in the 49ers’ offense? Is Kyle Shanahan shifting toward a two-running-back approach with McCaffrey turning 30 years old this summer?
A: Black out-carried McCaffrey in Week 1, and everybody thought that’s how things would be all season. Shanahan has made it a point to reduce McCaffrey’s role after an insane workload in 2025. He’s done a good job of resisting the urge to give CMC a 25- 30-touch game. It won’t be easy to continue that without Evans, but Black could go a long way in making sure McCaffrey stays healthy.
The rookie hasn’t offered much of anything in the passing game. He’s been OK as a runner. He’s a tough kid who gets yards after contact, but the big-play ability that we saw in college has been lacking. That changed last game, when Black ripped off a 30-yard run. Perhaps that’ll give him the confidence needed moving forward. I’d say Black was mildly disappointing through the first month, but improved the past two games. I’d also imagine he gets a semi-decent workload with McCaffrey nursing an injury.
Q: A little more than six years after trading him to Indianapolis, DeForest Buckner came back to San Francisco via trade last week. Why was this move needed, and what do you expect to see from Buckner in his return?
A: The 49ers have been decimated by injury along the defensive line. Both their starters at defensive tackle hit the injured reserve. They’ve been rotating a pass-rush first player, a rookie, and a second-year undrafted free agent at those spots for over a month. You could see last game how gassed their tackles were. Buckner is a player who rarely comes off the field. The trickle-down effect of having him in the lineup will make everybody else better because they don’t have to play in roles where they can’t shine.
I think Buckner is going to look like one of the biggest deadline steals when we look back, because he’s precisely what the Niners need at defensive tackle. He’s a force as a pass rusher, and strong enough to hold his own against the run. I expect big things from Buckner.
Q: Normally, putting a linebacker on Brock Bowers is a bad idea. However, Fred Warner is on a different level and might be the exception. How do you think those two match up against each other, and/or do you think 49ers defensive coordinator Raheem Morris will go with a different strategy against Bowers?
A: It’s best on best. Bowers is arguably the best skill player in the NFL. He’s amazing. Warner has held the title of best linebacker all decade. But he hasn’t really been used in man-to-man situations, and I don’t think that changes here. Klint Kubiak is smart enough to move Bowers around the formation; that way, you can’t key on him. It’ll be one of the biggest challenges the 49ers have faced in some time.
The Falcons had success dinking and dunking their way downfield. I know that’s not how the Raiders use Bowers, but quick passes are the way to get over on the Niners, as they go out of their way to take away the deep pass. I’d imagine it’s a 10+ target game for Bowers. How his yardage looks is another story, but he should find success against the Niners’ zone coverage. The defense has not fared well when it comes to its nickels and safeties in coverage.
