Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
Why Fred Warner, Nick Bosa believe closer-than-expected win vs. Raiders was big for 49ers
That was unexpected. The San Francisco 49ers entered their New Year's Day matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders as 9.5-point favorites and riding an eight-game win streak. They were going against a team that benched its starting quarterback, Derek Carr. In addition, the seats at Allegiant Stadium were taken over by fans wearing red and gold.
It was a battle. The 49ers narrowly escaped with a 37-34 overtime win, eliminating their one-time Bay Area rival from playoff contention. Few predicted such a close game.
Shockingly, the Raiders put up 500 total yards on the league's top-ranked defense. San Francisco had not given up those kinds of numbers since their last loss, on October 23 against the Kansas City Chiefs. It was an embarrassing effort by the prideful defense.
However, there is a bright side to how things turned out. The 49ers showed that on those rare occasions when the defense struggles, the offense can pick up the slack. The unit amassed 170 yards on the ground, led by running back
Christian McCaffrey's 121-rushing-yard and one-touchdown effort.
Quarterback
Brock Purdy was far from perfect but came up big when it counted, showing his typical calmness under pressure. Wide receiver
Brandon Aiyuk hauled in a team-high nine catches for 101 yards and a touchdown from his rookie quarterback.
The offense bailed out the defense, keeping up with the Raiders and eventually pushing the 49ers over the top. What did linebacker
Fred Warner learn from the game?
"That we're a complete team," Warner said. "And that's what you need. That's what you need to be able to win big-time games. As much as I hate to say that we needed this, I want us to dominate in all facets of the game every single time we step out there, but adversity makes you stronger. We're as tough as they come. We're going to take a hard look at it, and we'll be better from it."
On Monday, the 49ers will look at their defensive effort and try to correct any glaring mistakes. Maybe it's best that something like this happened before the playoffs.
"Obviously, a ton to correct defensively, but for the offense to take control and win it for us was ginormous," defensive end
Nick Bosa said. "We needed that. I'm proud of them. But a lot to get better on. But I think we needed this as a defense.
"That's a really good team. Best running back (Josh Jacobs) I've played against in my career, no doubt about it. That dude's a beast. And they have a lot of really talented players, and the quarterback (Jarrett Stidham) played good. The NFL will humble you 100 percent of the time."
The 49ers will chalk up the game to a learning experience. Luckily, they emerged with the win.
Warner added, "We've just got to be better all across the board—in the second level, on the backend of covering, and being what we're supposed to be, playing our technique."
Related News
LISTEN
Facebook Comments
More San Francisco 49ers News
49ers GM John Lynch on Nick Bosa extension: "They don't come as quick as you'd like sometimes"
By Rohan Chakravarthi
Mar 27
The San Francisco 49ers have seen consistent success over the past four years, making the NFC Championship Game three times and the Super Bowl once, despite not having an elite solution at quarterback.
Instead, they've maneuvered their way through the NFL Draft, acquiring stars such as Fred Warner, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, Arik Armstead, Dre Greenlaw, and Jimmie Ward, all of whom earned a second contract extension with the team.
Now, those extension talks didn't all go smoothly, as Samuel requested a trade last offseason, while the 49ers were at odds with Kittle during negotiations.
However, the 49ers are soon to face their toughest task of them all: extending star edge rusher Nick Bosa, who could be in line to demand the biggest contract for a
Why Trey Lance faces uphill battle to win 49ers' starting job, per Kyle Shanahan
The San Francisco 49ers expect Brock Purdy to be ready to play between early September and early November. That's a significant range considering the 2023 NFL season begins in early September. Head coach Kyle Shanahan, speaking with reporters at the NFL owners' meetings in Arizona, said the team expects its 23-year-old quarterback's recovery from his March 10 surgery to be six to eight months.
The 49ers will know more in June, when Purdy begins throwing again and starts ramping up his workload as part of his rehab.
"It might be Week 1," Shanahan said. "I think I'm hearing, at the latest, Week 4. But that's just all estimations, and we'll see what
Rapoport: Sam Darnold will 'more likely than not' be 49ers' Week 1 starting QB
Ah, San Francisco 49ers offseason quarterback drama. We haven't had that since … well, last offseason. If there is one thing you can count on with the Bay Area team on a yearly basis, it's quarterback drama.
General manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan made one thing clear over the last two days: If he were healthy, Brock Purdy would be the frontrunner to start Week 1 of the 2023 season. However, he is recovering from his March 10 surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) tear in his right elbow. That will keep him off the practice field until maybe early September.
That timeline could extend beyond September. It's just too early for
49ers, Raiders plan joint practices in Las Vegas ahead of preseason matchup
We know one of the upcoming preseason opponents for the San Francisco 49ers. In an exhibition matchup, they will face the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. According to The Athletic, the two teams will hold joint practices in the Las Vegas area leading to that game.
Raiders and 49ers planning joint practices in Las Vegas before preseason game.— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) March 28, 2023
The 49ers and Raiders
