The San Francisco 49ers won't have to face quarterback Derek Carr when they travel to Allegiant Stadium this weekend to play the Las Vegas Raiders. The veteran has been benched in favor of Jarrett Stidham. As a result, the 49ers are heavy favorites in the New Year's Day matchup. However, the team isn't taking their upcoming opponent lightly despite this being Stidham's first career start.
Oh, and he will be going against the league's top defense. No pressure.
49ers rookie quarterback Brock Purdy will only be making his fourth career start but already looks like a veteran on the football field, both in playmaking ability and as a leader. Still, he knows he may have his hands full when it comes to the Raiders' pass rush.
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"I think, overall, [DE] Maxx Crosby is really good on the edge," Purdy told reporters on Thursday. "So whenever [an opponent has] a player like that, that you have to focus on, who can do a lot of other different things, that you can sometimes slip up and not be ready for in terms of what they do with their secondary and whatnot. But I think they're talented across the board.
"But for us, we're just focusing on what we have to do to get better, and get right for this week, and work on little things, and habits and details that we want to clean up. It's going to be a really good challenge for us, going into a really good environment, and they've got a solid team all around."
Head coach Kyle Shanahan thinks highly of Crosby too, and knows the talented defender can become a handful if the 49ers don't find a way to mitigate his impact.
"Their defensive end in Crosby is playing as, probably, the second-best defensive player in the league, at least that I've seen this year," Shanahan said Wednesday. "I think he's been unbelievable."
Obviously, Nick Bosa ranks No. 1 in Shanahan's mind. The 49ers defensive end is the frontrunner for NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
It's not just Crosby that the 49ers have to limit. San Francisco's defense will have to find ways to stop the Raiders' offensive playmakers—names like running back Josh Jacobs and wide receiver Davante Adams.
"With the Raiders, I do see a very dangerous team because they have playmakers all over the field," 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans said on Thursday. "You talk about their big three, they have guys who can really take over games, and we'll still have our hands full, no matter who is at quarterback. We still have our hands full with this team.
"They've been in a lot of close games, a team who's vying for a playoff spot, so we know we're going to get all that they have, and we know they're coming out gunning for us. So we have our hands full, and we're ready to roll."