The NFL wanted to make the Las Vegas Raiders' return to the Bay Area as difficult as possible.
While the Silver and Black always had to play on the road when they returned to Northern Cal, it didn't have to be the week after a jaunt up to the Northeast to play the New York Jets. And it didn't have to be on the heels of the San Francisco 49ers' bye week, either. But you play the cards you're dealt.
And Klint Kubiak's team is facing an uphill battle against an elite 49ers team that most consider the best in the NFL anyway. Even without a few key players, the Raiders are outmatched in most spots and will need a special effort and a unique recipe from the coaches to pull this off.
To provide Raider Nation with a few potential ingredients in that recipe, we talked to the head chef of great content at our sister FanSided site that covers the San Francisco 49ers, Peter Panacy of Niner Noise. He provided some great intel about Las Vegas' Week 9 opponent.
Preview of Raiders-49ers in Week 9 with Niner Noise's Peter Panacy
Q: The 49ers unexpectedly dropped their first game of the season before the bye against the Falcons. How much of that loss was the team just losing focus before a break vs. Atlanta actually exposing some flaws?
A: It was a bit of both, honestly. Week 7 had "trap game" written all over it—an East Coast road trip on a short week after playing Monday Night Football, followed by the bye. At the same time, fans realized just how reliant Brock Purdy and the offense were on Mike Evans' presence. With Evans unavailable, the offense went wholly stagnant after the opening drives.
Our take: Week 7 was definitely a trap game for the 49ers, but after a bye week, and with plenty of reinforcements, they should come out raring to go. But the Evans thing is interesting, as he'll miss Week 9's contest, too, as will a handful of other San Francisco wide receivers.
Q: San Francisco is notoriously banged up, and it seems like this week could bring a mix of key returns and key absences. If you could, talk about what some of the impacts are of having/not having guys like CMC, Bosa, Mike Evans and others.
A: Evans' absence was painfully apparent against the Falcons, and it looks like he won't be good to go on Sunday. Two weeks should hopefully give Kyle Shanahan adequate time to game plan, though, and there's a bit of a boost with Demarcus Robinson and Nick Bosa both scheduled to return. That'll make plus impacts on both sides of the ball. Just imagine a season in which the 49ers were relatively fully healthy.
Our take: It is hard to imagine, and yet the 49ers always somehow make the playoffs and are a factor until the end. Robinson and Bosa being back will be nice, and the addition of DeForest Buckner is huge as well. But not having Evans, Christian Kirk or Deebo Samuel makes for a thin WR corps.
Q: Brock Purdy is playing at an MVP level. Has anything worked to slow him down this year, or are the Raiders going to have to do some trial and error on Sunday?
A: Don't blitz him. He's been excellent against blitzes. If there's anything that bothers Brock Purdy, it's his willingness to make some high-risk throws from time to time. That'll work when Evans is around, but it doesn't always work with other less-known targets. If Vegas can bait him into one or two of these, then Purdy will look a bit more pedestrian.
Our take: The Raiders' secondary has been fairly opportunistic this year, so hopefully Purdy puts it in harm's way. And Rob Leonard hasn't exactly been blitzing like crazy or throwing any exotic looks in over the last few weeks, so that's good, too. But I'm still scared that Purdy carves Las Vegas up.
Q: What do you think Raheem Morris’ plan will be for slowing down Brock Bowers?
A: Dre Greenlaw in coverage. It worked against Travis Kelce in the Super Bowl a few years ago until Greenlaw tore his Achilles in that game.
Our take: That sounds like a great idea... for the Raiders. Unless Greenlaw wants to hang out on the boundary all game and guard Bowers out wide, the 49ers probably need a different plan. That said, I hope Raheem Morris does this. But the days of a linebacker covering Bowers are long gone.
Bowers has been dominating No. 1 corners this year, so Greenlaw won't stand a chance, in my opinion.
Q: Name one individual battle or positional matchup that you’re most looking forward to.
A: I enjoy offensive chess matches, particularly between coaches from the same tree. Klint Kubiak is a Shanahan understudy, and it'll fun to see both Klink Kubiak and Niners offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak dab it up postgame. I'm sure there'll be some egos involved, so it'll be fun to watch those offensive minds try to outperform the other.
Our take: Oh, this should be an offensive spectacle. And not only will Klay and Klint be in the same building, but their other brother, Klein, will be there doing some advanced scouting work, as he is part of the Dallas Cowboys' organization. It'll be a full family affair, even outside of the deep football ties.
Completely agreed, though, Peter, that the chess match will be fun to watch.
Q: If you could, name one underrated player (or someone fans aren’t talking about enough) on your roster that you think could cause problems for the Raiders on Sunday.
A: Rookie defensive tackle Gracen Halton. He's been fun to watch this year, and while the trade for DeForest Buckner got fans buzzing again, Halton has quietly emerged as a first-year stud. He may not get a bunch of snaps now with Buckner in the fray, but Halton could easily make a big play or two.
Our take: Halton is a great call. I really liked him during the pre-draft process, and if the Raiders have had issues up front this season, it's been at the guard spots, where he'll line up. And that Buckner guy is pretty good too.
Q: Which color do you expect to be represented better in the crowd for this Battle of the Bay, red or black?
A: Niners fans travel well, and don't be shocked if all those SoCal 49ers fans head up from Los Angeles.
Our take: Interesting point. I'd venture to guess that there are more Raiders fans in SoCal than 49ers fans, and it should still be fairly split in the Bay. I'm hoping for a Silver and Black home game, but I guess we will have to see!
Q: Lastly, what is your final score prediction?
A: Let's go 27-21 Niners.
Our take: You have too much faith in the Las Vegas defense, my friend.
I predicted that this game would be 40-31 in favor of San Francisco (before the Evans injury was official) because Kubiak's offense has been firing on all cylinders, but the defense can't stop a feather. I think I'd rather have your prediction, though, if the Raiders are going to come up short.
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