Oakland Raiders at San Francisco 49ers: 5 takeaways from Week 9

Lack of defensive motivation

If there was one defensive play that was on the minds of everyone who watched Thursday night’s debacle, it was Raheem Mostert’s big touchdown run in which he carved up the Raiders defense for 52 yards. Watching the event on replay, many cared to point out not so much what Mostert did to evade defenders, but what the Oakland defense didn’t or didn’t want to do in attempting to bring him down.

He simply went untouched as he marched into the end zone for the nail in the coffin of a blowout win for San Francisco. The 49ers defense has been shaky all season, mainly due to the fact that they are young and inexperienced. But at the end of the day, the tape shows them trying to stop the opposing offense.

Based on what we saw at Levi’s Stadium, it’s uncertain if the same can be said on the defensive side of the ball for the Silver and Black.

The defensive personnel is filled with veterans with playing experience, contrary to San Francisco. The fact that on that particular play it seemed they “quit” was not a good look to end the night. It’s one thing to simply be outplayed, but it’s another to lack the motivation to compete. Jon Gruden may say otherwise, but the tape doesn’t lie.