Last week, the experts split almost evenly on Raiders vs. Jets, and the believers walked away looking smart. Seven days later, the panel has made up its mind. Across the 21 straight-up picks rounded up here, every single one goes to the San Francisco 49ers.
There is a twist hiding in the scores, though. Seven of the 11 national score predictions have the Raiders losing by single digits, which would be enough to cover the spread.
The Raiders Wire staff went 4-0 for the 49ers, with an average score of 31-23. LaMarr Fields had the widest margin at 34-23, pointing to a 49ers ground game the Raiders haven't been able to stop.
NFL.com sees no drama
All five NFL.com analysts took the 49ers, and nobody on that panel is harsher than Jeremy Bergman at 40-24. Bobby Kownack went
28-17, while Gennaro Filice (35-27), Dan Parr (34-26) and Brooke Cersosimo (28-20) kept it within eight. Only Bergman and Kownack have the 49ers winning by double digits.
Cersosimo pointed to a familiar face on San Francisco's defensive line. Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, reacquired from the Indianapolis Colts during the bye, is set for his second debut with the 49ers.
"Buckner's addition should pay dividends for San Francisco moving forward, beginning Sunday against the visiting Raiders," Cersosimo wrote.
She also acknowledged San Francisco's turnover problems before the bye, but she still gave the 49ers the edge in most major categories.
CBS Sports and ESPN agree on the winner
At CBS Sports, Pete Prisco has the 49ers winning 31-17, while John Breech sees a tighter game at 30-23.
ESPN's writers all picked San Francisco as well, with Pamela Maldonado at 24-20, Seth Walder at 29-23 and Eric Moody at 34-20. ESPN's Football Power Index gives the 49ers an 83.6% chance to win, a number that backs up the panel.
Pro Football Talk expects a fight
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk also landed on 24-20, tied with Maldonado for the closest call among the national picks. He sounds ready for a scrap.
"In a renewal of a rivalry so intense that they had to stop playing each other in the preseason, the Raiders will make it interesting," Florio wrote.
The spread is where Raiders fans find friends
USA TODAY's six experts, including Jarrett Bell and Nate Davis, went 6-0 for the 49ers straight up. Against the spread, Bleacher Report's panel leans Las Vegas 4-3, with Gary Davenport, Ian Hanford, Wes O'Donnell and Brent Sobleski taking the points. Brad Gagnon, Kris Knox and Moe Moton laid them.
Hanford admitted that "everything logical here is telling me to take the 49ers to win this one going away." He still expects quarterback Kirk Cousins to hit enough big plays to keep it within single digits, calling it a game that "just feels like a backdoor cover."
Picking the Raiders to win on Sunday is a lonely spot this week. Picking them to keep it respectable is a crowded one.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Raiders vs. 49ers expert picks and predictions ahead of Week 9 kickoff
