The Las Vegas Raiders rolled into the final week of the preseason at 2-0 looking to close out a familiar opponent. The Battle of the Bay was renewed against the longtime rival San Fransisco 49ers.
Head coach Jon Gruden has remained steadfast in his desire to keep starters off the field. This would be the last opportunity for fringe players and rookies to get some playing time against Jimmy G, Trey Lance, and the 49ers offense.
The 49ers are littered with ex-Raiders, some of whom looked to exact revenge on the Silver and Black. Arden Key, come on down. Here’s how the last game of the preseason turned out.
1st Quarter
As expected, the Raiders decided to leave most of their starters on the sideline. The 49ers thought differently.
The talent disparity was on display from the start. The Raiders went three and out to start the game; unable to muster a drive against the 49ers’ first-string defense. Nathan Peterman was expected to play the entire game.
Raheem Mostert got to work on the next drive. The 49ers gashed the Raiders all the way down the field. Mostert compiled 53 rushing yards in a drive that ended with a rushing touchdown from Jimmy Garoppolo.
More of the same from the Raiders on the next drive. Dillon Stoner had a nice catch to give Las Vegas their only first down thus far. Following a punt, Garoppolo took his turn moving the ball down the field.
The first quarter ended with the ball on the Las Vegas three yard line.
Raiders 0 – 49ers 7
2nd Quarter
The second quarter brought a quarterback change for the 49ers. Lance entered the game looking to build on a strong offensive performance.
He immediately cashed in a rushing touchdown to increase the lead to 14.
Las Vegas wouldn’t remain scoreless. As San Fransisco started to bench starters the offense was able to generate more yardage. Trey Ragas had some nice runs and receptions leading to a big play from Peterman to Stoner.
Daniel Carlson boomed a 51-yard field goal after the drive stalled to cut into the 49ers’ lead.
Both defenses buckled down and forced consecutive punts before SF drove back into Raider territory. Trey Lance got the offense down to the 3-yard line before Robbie Gould finished the drive with a chip shot field goal.
The Raiders got the ball back with 1:33 left on the clock and tried to score. They failed. A 3-and-out gave Trey Lance one more shot at scoring before halftime.
With just over a minute left in the half, Lance drove the ball all the way down to the Las Vegas 1-yard line thanks to two pass interference penalties by Isaiah Johnson. Gould finished with another field goal to extend the lead for the red and gold
Raiders 3 – 49ers 20
3rd Quarter
The third quarter opened like you would expect for the end of the preseason. Both teams thinning out the starters (if any) and looking to gear up for the regular season.
Three straight 3-and-outs opened the quarter for both teams. The Raiders’ first drive did feature another “Arden Key almost” sack, with Peterman juking Key out of his cleats in the backfield.
‘3’ would start to cook on the fourth possession. Peterman carved the 49ers up; throwing big passes to Stoner, Keelan Doss, and the capstone touchdown to Nick Bowers. It was a sorely needed injection of life that got the Raider-friendly crowd pumped up.
The 49ers responded. It took them all of three plays following a big return to put the ball in the end zone. A JaMycal Hasty 35-yard scamper caught the Raiders bringing pressure from the right side, cutting left for a big play.
Things went from bad to worse for the Raiders on the next drive. Peterman was picked on the second play by Ha Ha Clinton-Dix who returned it to the Las Vegas 11 yard line. JaMycal Hasty capped off a short drive with another touchdown to put the 49ers up big.
Raiders 10 – 49ers 34
4th Quarter
Back-to-back sacks opened the quarter for the Raiders on offense. The backup offense line did not have a promising performance late in the game. The Raiders will need their starting offensive line to stay healthy if they hope to have a productive season.
The rest of the game was reduced to Wayne Gallman carries for the 49ers. Gallman churned up yards for the 49ers in an attempt to run out the clock with over eight minutes left in the game. San Fransisco ran 12 consecutive running plays before a 4th down stop by the Raiders with 27 seconds to go.
The Raiders ran one play before time expired. Both teams ended the game with all three timeouts and the march to the regular season, and Super Bowl 56, begins right now!
Final: Raiders 10 – 49ers 34
*Top Photo: AP Photos/D. Ross Cameron