Special teams, passing onslaught basal retired arsenic areas wherever Raiders could endanger 49ers
Las Vegas Raiders moving backmost Dylan Laube (23) carries the shot against the San Francisco 49ers during the archetypal fractional of an NFL preseason crippled astatine Allegiant Stadium Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. Photo by: Steve Marcus / Las Vegas Sun
By Case Keefer (contact)
Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026 | 2 a.m.
The Raiders got backmost connected way by beating the New York Jets 38-33 past week, oregon truthful they believe.
Optimism has surrounded the squad ever since they broke their four-game losing streak successful East Rutherford, N.J., to adjacent their grounds astatine 4-4, with aggregate players and coaches noting that each their goals are inactive possible. Namely, they’re chasing a playoff berth implicit the 2nd fractional of the regular season.
Those extracurricular the enactment aren’t arsenic bullish — the betting marketplace inactive prices the Raiders astir 6-to-1 to interruption a five-year playoff drought. The likelihood are besides against them today, arsenic they’re the biggest underdog connected the committee for Sunday’s Week 9 slate astatine +10 heading backmost to the Bay Area to instrumentality connected the San Francisco 49ers (6-1).
The once-branded “Battle of the Bay” rivalry renews for the archetypal clip since 2023 astatine 1:25 p.m. astatine Levi’s Stadium. Fox 5 volition televise the crippled portion the vigor broadcast is acceptable for Raider Nation Radio, 920 AM.
It’s a large trial for the Raiders to amusement if they’re acceptable to vie with the NFL's champion — peculiarly the team’s defense. The portion has sunk to the bottommost of the NFL by galore statistics, including yards per play allowed (6.1) and yards per unreserved allowed (5.1).
Meanwhile, the 49ers’ discourtesy leads the league with 6.4 yards per play and +0.18 expected points added (EPA) per play.
The Raiders haven’t beaten an hostile that came into the crippled with a winning grounds since a memorable Christmas Day triumph against the Kansas City Chiefs successful 2023. Shocking the 49ers would beryllium a stylish mode to drawback the skid.
Favorable matchup: Raiders’ passing crippled vs. 49ers’ secondary
The weakest portion of the 49ers has arguably been a walk defence that rates No. 18 successful the NFL by EPA per play. The Raiders’ walk discourtesy has climbed each the mode up to No. 6 successful the NFL by EPA per play aft backmost Kirk Cousins sliced done the Jets for 247 yards and 3 touchdowns connected 19-for-26 passing past week. San Francisco should beryllium getting reinforcements backmost from wounded this week astatine cornerback, including erstwhile Raider Nate Hobbs and promising sophomore nickel backmost Upton Stout. But it’s hard to spot thing but an elite antiaircraft backfield shutting down Cousins, fixed however assured helium looks moving manager Klint Kubiak’s offense. San Francisco has been peculiarly susceptible to passes to moving backs, and Ashton Jeanty leads each NFL players astatine the presumption with 37 receptions for 376 yards and 3 touchdowns. The 49ers are besides mediocre defending heavy passes, and Cousins has connected connected respective with apical receiver Tre Tucker, who’s driving up his declaration terms successful his last play earlier hitting escaped agency. They’ve been tougher connected choky ends, but the Raiders’ Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer are playing good capable to airs issues for immoderate opponent.
Problematic matchup: 49ers’ docket spot vs. Raiders’ docket spot
This looks similar a textbook illustration of a spot immoderate analysts deem a “schedule loss” astatine the commencement of the season, i.e. a concern that looks virtually unwinnable with each the intangibles stacked against 1 side. The Raiders are playing successful their 2nd consecutive roadworthy crippled — aft traveling to the East Coast past week — against a squad coming disconnected a bye. And the 49ers truly needed the bye, arsenic they had starters connected the wounded study oregon injured reserve astatine each presumption radical up of a 29-20 Week 7 decision astatine the Atlanta Falcons. A batch of those players are present listed arsenic steadfast and expected to play, headlined by a brace of All-Pros successful borderline rusher Nick Bosa and near tackle Trent Williams. San Francisco does inactive person a clump wounded astatine wide receiver, with 5 injured walk catchers and lone arguably the slightest of them, erstwhile short-lived Raider Demarcus Robinson, reportedly apt to return. Much of the walk crippled whitethorn truthful autumn connected moving backmost Christian McCaffrey, who’s dealing with a hamstring wounded himself, and choky extremity George Kittle. The 49ers are inactive among the astir injured teams successful the league, but the Raiders’ chances would person been importantly amended if they caught the 49ers a mates weeks earlier.
“We went to assemblage unneurotic and past we went our abstracted ways and got married, and it was conscionable truthful large reconnecting with him and seeing the benignant of hubby that helium was and seeing however hard helium worked and however astute helium was, things I already knew but erstwhile you’re successful the occurrence with your member each day, it decidedly builds a person bond. -Klint Kubiak connected his younger member Klay Kubiak, the 49ers’ violative coordinator, and the twelvemonth they spent unneurotic connected the San Francisco unit successful 2023
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“Everybody is competing for their job, myself included, each day. I privation (the players) to consciousness that due to the fact that it’s true. There’s thing guaranteed. I archer them you person to enactment idiosyncratic successful a presumption to say, ‘How tin I not play this guy? He does everything right.’ Until that happens with everybody, the competition’s connected each day.” -Raiders antiaircraft coordinator Rob Leonard connected however he’s hoping interior contention tin spark his struggling unit
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“I ever accidental I deliberation it’s the champion play successful shot due to the fact that it either starts the game, starts the fractional oregon starts the drive, truthful it sets the code and I emotion mounting the code and bringing that momentum retired of the team.” -Laube connected his emotion for returning kicks
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“It was a imagination travel true. I conscionable privation to support getting amended truthful I tin assistance this squad triumph each week. I’ve got a batch to amended on.” -Rookie close defender Trey Zuhn turning distant praise for his show successful his archetypal vocation start, wherever helium appeared to enactment up what had been a occupation presumption for the Raiders
Gamebreaker: Wide receiver Jalen Nailor
OK, there’s 1 much receiver to ticker arsenic a cardinal cog successful the Raiders’ walk game. Nailor, a Bishop Gorman graduate, is coming disconnected his champion crippled successful metallic and black, having caught 4 passes for 38 yards and a touchdown against the Jets. It wasn’t overwhelming accumulation but possibly capable to get the escaped cause signing primed for a existent breakout. Nailor’s little clip with the Raiders has been bizarre truthful far. He flashed aboriginal successful grooming campy and looked similar the Raiders’ apical receiver earlier falling disconnected precipitously during the preseason. Nailor’s struggles appeared to beryllium 1 of the main reasons Kubiak called retired the receiving corps and demanded much going into the season. It mightiness person taken Nailor a portion to summation the spot backmost of Kubiak and/or Cousins, considering helium had lone 8 catches for 77 yards earlier the Jets game. In his defense, Nailor was getting unfastened much often than his statistic suggested but seemed to beryllium buried toward the backmost of Cousins’ progressions. Maybe his sure-handedness a week ago, catching each 4 of his targets, tin alteration the program going guardant erstwhile opponents slightest expect it.
Big Number: 248
The Raiders went 248 games betwixt kick-return touchdowns earlier Dylan Laube went untouched 95 yards down the sideline successful beforehand of much than 60 friends and household conscionable extracurricular of his hometown against the Jets. That was the third-longest drought successful the NFL, dating backmost to Week 6 of the 2011 play erstwhile Jacoby Ford returned a footwear 101 yards successful a triumph against the Cleveland Browns. Laube was already starring the league successful instrumentality mean and has present accrued that vantage to much than 3 yards implicit the closest competitor. The third-year moving backmost is getting 34.1 yards per footwear return. He says helium wants to go the champion peculiar teams subordinate successful the NFL and mightiness beryllium good connected his way. In summation to the touchdown, Laube astir a blocked tract extremity and made a large tackle connected a kickoff aft the Raiders took the pb against the Jets. The NFL awarded him with AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors. The 49ers’ peculiar teams person struggled, ranking No. 26 successful the NFL by the DVOA ratings, to perchance springiness Laube the accidental to marque a large quality again this week. He’s go a existent limb for the Raiders.
Best Bet (5-3): Jordan Watkins implicit 18.5 receiving yards
San Francisco backmost Brock Purdy is going to person to propulsion to idiosyncratic different than Kittle and McCaffrey. The second-year, fourth-round prime retired of Ole Miss filled the void against the Falcons, garnering six targets and catching 3 of them for 56 yards. All of those numbers were vocation highs and mightiness beryllium casual to constitute disconnected arsenic an aberration successful a mean circumstance. But this is nary mean circumstance. All-Pros Mike Evans (ribs/Achilles) and Deebo Samuel (hamstring) are some doubtful to play. Rookie training-camp prima De’Zhaun Stribling (ankle) is besides confirmed to not beryllium returning this week. Christian Kirk (hamstring) is questionable. Everything points toward Watkins maintaining his comparatively dense workload for a 2nd consecutive week.
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