Matt Holder from Silver and Black Pride helped us out this week with five questions about this week’s matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the Las Vegas Raiders.
We talked about Kyle Shanahan and Kirk Cousins, the Raiders’ defense against the Niners’ offense, Las Vegas’s running back situation, and Brock Bowers.
1) You can’t tell the Kirk Cousins story without Kyle Shanahan. How surprising is it to see Cousins play this well, and do you think he’ll continue that this season, even if the Raiders
remain one-dimensional?
Heading into the season, I thought Cousins was going to be nothing more than a placeholder for Fernando Mendoza. So, I’m very shocked by how well he’s been playing and was dead wrong in the offseason. He’s one of the biggest reasons the Raiders are in the playoff picture at the halfway point of the season.
You’re 100% correct that Vegas’ offense is one-dimensional, and the lack of a running game could lead to the 38-year-old starting to show his age down the stretch. But so far, there’s been no sign of regression from Cousins. He isn’t perfect; his age/lack of mobility and arm strength show up when under pressure, but he’s coming off his best game of the year last week against the Jets.
2) Is there any hope for the Raiders defense? Everybody scores against them. The 49ers won’t have Mike Evans, but it still seems like the Niners will move the ball up and down the field. How do you see the Raiders getting stops?
Kyle Shanahan’s game plan can be pretty simple this week: line up in 12 or 13 personnel (or technically 21/22 personnel with Kyle Juszczyk) and pound the rock. Shanahan doesn’t even need Evans because Las Vegas’ defense can’t stop the run out of those formations.
Even the Jets had success with that, as Braelon Allen averaged 7.0 yards per carry and set a career-high rushing yardage total in the first half. New York is just poorly coached and only ran the ball four times in the second half despite playing with a lead, allowing Vegas to come back in the fourth quarter.
Also, the Raiders’ defense doesn’t have a legitimate answer for George Kittle. Not that tight ends have necessarily hurt them in the passing game all year, but Kittle is the best one the Raiders’ defense has faced, and the unit doesn’t have someone who I think can match up with him.
Ultimately, I think San Francisco should have no problem putting up at least 30 points on Sunday. Vegas hasn’t kept an opponent under 30 since September, and the Saints put up 27 points in three quarters in Week 3.
3) What’s going on at running back? Do you think it was a mistake to take Jeanty? Did he already lose his job? Is it more about Mike Washington being good or Jeanty being bad?
ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported this week that Jeanty getting two carries while Washington had 25 in New York was meant to serve as a “wake-up call” for the 2025 No. 6 overall pick. In other words, a ‘soft benching’. Also, Jeanty stupidly made a bulletin-board-material comment about the Jets’ defense — essentially saying they don’t like to tackle — so I think Klint Kubiak’s decision was at least partly punitive.
Additionally, the Raiders’ running game has been terrible this season, as it was a year ago. Kubiak has tried different offensive line combinations, so he flipped the running back rotation to see how that works. Washington definitely didn’t run away with the starting job, but the offense was much better at staying on schedule with him toting the rock.
The rookie doesn’t have great vision and will miss opportunities for big plays. But at least last week, he did a better job of getting what he can compared to Jeanty. Moving forward, I expect Washington to continue having a bigger workload, but I think the touches will be closer to 50/50.
Personally, I’m not ready to give up on Jeanty. However, if another team was interested in giving up, say, a second-round pick for him either by Tuesday or in the offseason, I’d probably take that deal. He isn’t the biggest problem; the offensive line is, but he isn’t helping make the situation better.
4) Klint Kubiak was on the 49ers coaching staff a few years back. How do Raiders fans feel about Kubiak, and is there a real sense that he can lead this team to the playoffs in the near future?
Some in Raider Nation are frustrated with Kubiak because the team started 3-0, giving some hope for the playoffs, only to see a four-game losing streak against playoff-caliber opponents in October. But I’d say those people are in the minority.
Anyone who was sensible knew that this was going to be a rebuilding year for the Raiders, and they already have more wins in 2026 than 2025. That’s progress for an organization that had the No. 1 overall pick in the draft last April, especially since the No. 1 pick has barely seen the field.
Sure, the Silver and Black haven’t beaten a quality opponent and are “frauds” when it comes to being a postseason contender this season. However, the team is headed in the right direction by separating itself from the bottom of the league.
Overall, I think the majority of the fanbase is happy with Kubiak and feels he’s capable of leading them to the playoffs in the future. Again, this was supposed to be year one of a two-year rebuild, and the fact the Raiders are even in the postseason discussion at this stage makes it seem like the plan is ahead of schedule.
5) Is Brock Bowers better than George Kittle? Which skill players would you take over Bowers at this point?
I know a trap question when I see one, LOL!
Right now, I think Kittle is the better overall tight end since he’s basically a sixth offensive lineman in the running game. But to me, Bowers is the NFL’s most unique weapon in the passing game. He can beat both defensive backs and linebackers by getting open or making ridiculous contested catches and is used more like a ‘WR1’ than a typical tight end, commanding the attention of the opposing defense’s best coverage defender every week. Bowers creates a lot of matchup problems, similar to how Sean Payton used to use Jimmy Graham in New Orleans.
To be honest, there aren’t many other skill players around the league that I’d take over the third-year offensive weapon. It’d have to be one of the top-tier wide receivers, like a Ja’Marr Chase or Justin Jefferson type. Bowers is just such a unicorn that it’d take a lot for me to want to give him up.
