This is Town Bidness.
The Raiders may now call Las Vegas home, but Week 9's matchup against the San Francisco 49ers is still a Battle of the Bay. And this will be the Silver and Black's first time playing a regular-season game in Northern California since they left Oakland in 2020, so Sunday will be emotional for all involved.
While the final score in this game will affect both teams' records, and therefore both of their playoff odds and potential decisions at the trade deadline, the Raiders playing against the 49ers is about way more than just the win-loss column. It's about pride and regional supremacy.
It may be the 6-1 49ers against the 4-4 Raiders, the latter of whom has beaten the former just one time in the two's previous six matchups, but in a game like this, you can throw out the records. You can throw out conventional wisdom and analytics. You can throw out betting odds and predictions.
Because this game is about dignity, and more importantly, beating the living pulp out of the Red and Gold.
Raiders must take down 49ers for pride, and to be taken seriously
Before we get more into the rich history and origin of this matchup, let's talk about what a Las Vegas win would do for Klint Kubiak's team.
In 2026, the Raiders have taken down all four of the bad teams that they've played, but it's been a mixed bag against good competition. Close losses to the Chiefs and Bills are neutralized by blowouts at the hands of the Patriots and Rams. People don't know what to think or believe about this team.
But the 49ers are undoubtedly one of the best squads in the NFL, and according to most, the very best. They are also coming off a bye week and should be playing with a vengeance after their trap-game loss in Week 7 against the Atlanta Falcons. This will be a motivated bunch.
Beating San Francisco would be an "I've arrived" moment for Kubiak and the Silver and Black. This is, in some ways, a master vs. apprentice matchup, and to boot, Kubiak will have his brother, Klay, on the opposite sideline. If he dials up a great game and pulls off a win, Raider Nation can rest assured:
They have their guy.
Losing to the 49ers has become too commonplace for Oakland and Las Vegas, but a win would be a sign that things have changed. That not only can the Raiders compete with the elite teams in the league, but that they aren't the "little brothers" that Niners fans often think of us as.
For far too long, San Francisco has looked down upon Oakland. They think the city is better than The Town. And unfortunately, when it comes to the results on the field, they have been right. But on Sunday, the Raiders can leave no doubt. They can remind everyone who runs the Bay Area.
Taunting the organization with "Loyal to the Bay" merchandise was always a low blow and a willful ignorance of how things actually went down. And let's not act like the 49ers didn't move about an hour south of San Francisco to Santa Clara years before the Silver and Black relocated.
So, spare me the condescension.
Oddly enough, only three players on the Raiders remain from their days in Oakland: Maxx Crosby, A.J. Cole and Kolton Miller. But Kubiak and the entire locker room understand that, while every game matters equally in the eyes of the standings, this one matters just a little bit more.
The history of this matchup could be talked about for days. There aren't enough words to describe the overlap between these two franchises and the battles that they've had over the years. The impact they've had on Bay Area football and culture.
While this rivalry is legendary in so many ways, there is no shortage of bad blood.
In the last matchup between these two teams in the Bay Area, which was a 2018 49ers shellacking of the Raiders, Miller had one key memory from the game:
“There may have been a few scuffles in the stands,” Miller told The Athletic's Sam Warren. “The rivalry is real. It’s Raiders and Niners football. It’s huge.”
Huge, it is.
Oakland is baked into the DNA of the Silver and Black, and Crosby knows that better than anyone.
“Oakland, there’s no city like it. You can’t describe it unless you’ve been there,” Crosby said to Warren. “I love those fans so much, and definitely miss them and being in that crazy environment. They still travel to this day and still have a ton left in the city for sure.”
Business decisions were made, both by the Raiders and the city of Oakland, but the Raiders fans from NorCal and SoCal alike should still be out in full force on Sunday at Levi's Stadium. And Cole emphasized exactly why it's so important to put on a show for those supporters.
“It’s a lot of people’s first chance to see us since we left,” Cole told Warren. “I’m excited to see what the atmosphere is like. I think it’s gonna be special.”
When the Raiders and 49ers are involved, it's always special. Beating anyone is great and gratifying, but it is all the more fulfilling to beat San Francisco. For The Town to topple the city. For the perceived "little brother" to get a win. To prove that they aren't the little brother at all, actually.
Sunday is about the Raiders proving that they can beat the best teams in the NFL. That they're "back" to being relevant. But this is also about Bay Area bragging rights. It's about geographic honor. And most critically, it is about honoring Al Davis by not putting up with (expletive) and just winning, baby.
Come and get it.
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