Raiders need to keep it simple against 49ers in Week 17
By Brad Weiss
The Las Vegas Raiders take on the San Francisco 49ers in Week 17, and here is what they need to do to come away with a victory at home.
The bomb finally dropped on Wednesday, as the Las Vegas Raiders announced that Derek Carr would take a seat as the team’s starting quarterback. For Carr, his run over the last nine years had some big highs, and some incredibly low lows, the latest coming on Christmas Eve night.
Playing against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Carr tossed three interceptions, one to clinch the game for the opposition, a pass that could end up being his final in the Silver and Black. The three picks gave him the NFL lead, and after seeing him struggle for weeks, Josh McDaniels has decided to turn to Jarrett Stidham in Week 17.
Stidham has never started an NFL game, and will be doing so against one of the best teams in the league in the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. To win, the Raiders are going to have to keep it simple.
Raiders need to keep it simple
San Francisco has elite playmakers on defense, and they have gotten strong play on offense from rookie quarterback, Brock Purdy. In fact, Purdy was Mr. Irrelevant in the 2022 NFL Draft, but his play has been far from irrelevant, as he and the 49ers have won eight straight, with Purdy starting the last four games.
To combat this team, Las Vegas is going to have to run the ball effectively, as well as put Stidham in a position where he does not have to put the team on his back.
Controlling the clock and establishing the run is the only way the Las Vegas Raiders come out of this one with the victory. All eyes are going to be on Stidham as he replaces Carr as the starting quarterback, but this game is going to come down to whether or not the offensive line can protect their new signal-caller, and clear holes against an elite San Francisco defense.