Raiders vs San Francisco 2022 Week 17: 49ers to Worry About
By Brad Weiss
The Las Vegas Raiders battle it out against San Francisco in Week 17, and here are some 49ers to worry about going into the matchup.
The Las Vegas Raiders take on the San Francisco 49ers in Week 17 amid a ton of controversy surrounding the franchise. On Wednesday, the team announced that Jarrett Stidham would be the team’s starting quarterback for the rest of the season, and with that, Derek Carr will be inactive and away from the team.
With Stidham taking over as quarterback, it is anybody’s guess as to what the offense is going to look like. He did spend time with Josh McDaniels in New England and is familiar with the system, but has yet to start an NFL game, and will be doing so against one of the best teams in the NFL on an eight-game winning streak.
The San Francisco 49ers have gotten to an 11-4 start to the season, have wrapped up the NFC West, and are looking to get to the top seed in the NFC. Not bad for a team on their third starting quarterback.
Raiders vs San Francisco 2022 Week 17: 49ers to Worry About
Nick Bosa
When it comes to the 49ers’ defense, they have arguably the best defensive player in the NFL in Nick Bosa, a talented edge rusher. Bosa has had an incredible 2022 season, and while he is battling an illness right now, he should be ready to go for this Week 17 matchup inside Allegiant Stadium.
Bosa has racked up a league-best 17.5 sacks this season and has forced two fumbles, making him the front-runner to win Defensive Player of the Year honors. Playing against a quarterback making his first NFL start, he could be in for a multi-sack game on Sunday.
Christian McCaffrey
During the season, the 49ers made a decision that they were going to go for it all, and did so by trading for Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey. McCaffrey is a do-it-all running back, possessing the ability to hurt teams in the run game, and in the passing game.
The Raiders’ defense really does not have an answer for him, and if he goes off, the 49ers’ offense could be unstoppable on Sunday afternoon.
George Kittle
The Las Vegas Raiders have an elite tight end in Darren Waller, but the 49ers will counter with a player some feel is the second-best player at the position group in the NFL. In fact, the Raiders are taking on the 49ers at a tough time if they hope to stop George Kittle, as he has two touchdowns in each of the last two games.
Las Vegas has struggled against the tight ends all season long, and on Sunday, Kittle could be in for another two-touchdown game.
All told, there are a ton of 49ers to worry about in this matchup, and it will be interesting to see if the Raiders can hang with a talented San Francisco team for four quarters. The Raiders are still technically alive in the playoff race, so there are playoff implications in this game, but based on these two rosters, this one could get ugly.