49ers, Raiders play to 24-24 tie in preseason finale

Neither the 49ers nor Raiders ended the preseason on a winning note Friday night, as a late Raiders field goal with 16 seconds remaining locked the game in a 24-24 tie.

Down 24-21 with less than two minutes to play, the Raiders had a chance to win the game if they could come up with a touchdown on their final possession. But the drive fell short deep in 49ers territory, which led Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce to call on kicker Daniel Carlson to tie the game with a 43-yard field goal. With no overtime games allowed in preseason play, Carlson's field goal helped ensure that the game would conclude in a tie at the end of regulation.

Brock Purdy started the game at quarterback for the 49ers against a Raiders team that elected to focus on playing their backups. Purdy finished 9-of-12 for 96 yards with one interception before leaving the game in the second quarter. Nathan Peterman started the game at quarterback for the Raiders and finished 12-of-19 for 108 yards and one touchdown.

First Half

Purdy and the 49ers offense got off to a quick start with a 27-yard completion to wide receiver Deebo Samuel to open the game, followed by a 15-yard completion to tight end George Kittle that advanced the ball to the Raiders' 26-yard line. But the drive stalled from there, forcing the 49ers to settle for a 49-yard field goal from kicker Jake Moody to take a 3-0 lead.

The Raiders were held to a three-and-out on their first offensive possession, then the 49ers put together a 12-play, 85-yard drive that culminated with a four-yard touchdown run by running back Jordan Mason to take a 10-0 lead. Purdy completed a 19-yard pass to Kittle on a 3rd-and-6 early in the drive to move the ball to midfield, then a series of runs from Mason, Purdy and running back Isaac Guerendo put the 49ers in a 1st-and-Goal at the 5-yard line. After a 1-yard pass to tight end Jake Tonges on first down, Mason ran in to cap the drive with just over three minutes remaining in the first quarter.

The Raiders gave the ball right back to the 49ers on their next possession on a fumble forced by linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles that was recovered by defensive end Robert Beal at midfield. The 49ers drove into the red zone from there but fell short of scoring when a third down pass form Purdy was tipped and intercepted by defensive back Chris Smith. The Raiders were held to a three-and-out after the interception and punted back to the 49ers.

Brandon Allen entered the game at quarterback on the next possession for the 49ers, which ended in a three-and-out. After that, things got a bit exciting for both teams in the return game. The Raiders struck first when return man Tyreik McAllister took the punt from Pressley Harvin and ran 81 yards for a touchdown, trimming the 49ers' lead to 10-7.

The 49ers answered quickly courtesy of an electric kickoff return from the rookie Guerendo. Guerendo fielded the kick inside the five, then streaked down the sideline before breaking free to head towards the end zone. Guerendo would up being chased down at the 4-yard line, but two plays later, the 49ers took a 17-7 lead on a three-yard scoring run from running back Patrick Taylor.

The teams exchanged punts after the touchdown, then the Raiders put together a 10-play, 79-yard drive before the half to cut the lead to 17-14 on a touchdown pass from Peterman to wide receiver Kristian Wilkerson. The Raiders needed just one minute and 43 seconds of game clock to move downfield, then Peterman connected with Wilkerson in the end zone with 13 seconds remaining in the half. The 49ers ran out the clock after the ensuing kickoff to send the game to halftime.

Second Half

Carter Bradley started the second half at quarterback for the Raiders, who picked up where they left off on offense before halftime by putting together a six-play, 81-yard drive to take a 21-17 lead on a 35-yard touchdown pass to McAllister. Bradley connected on a 22-yard completion to wide receiver Ramel Keyton on the drive's penultimate play, then McAllister spun around cornerback Samuel Womack to make a leaping catch before heading towards the end zone.

The teams exchanged punts, then Dobbs entered the game at quarterback for the 49ers just before the midway point in the fourth quarter. Dobbs led the 49ers on an 11-play, 55-yard drive that ended with a 10-yard touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Jacob Cowing to give the 49ers a 21-17 lead. The 49ers faced a 3rd-and-Goal from the 10-yard line on the play, but Dobbs and Cowing delivered to put the 49ers back on top with less than two minutes remaining in the third quarter.

The Raiders were held to a punt after four plays on the ensuing possession but got the ball back at the 49ers' 29-yard line after a fumble by wide receiver Tay Martin. A 21-yard pass to McAllister on the next play put the Raiders at a 1st-and-Goal at the 49ers' 8-yard line, then an unnecessary roughness penalty moved the ball to the 4-yard line. But the 49ers defense held firm from there, forcing a turnover on downs after cornerback Darrell Luter intercepted a fourth-down pass from Bradley in the end zone.

After two consecutive punts, the 49ers took over at their own 48-yard line and inserted Tanner Mordecai at quarterback with just over six minutes remaining in the game. Mordecai led the 49ers on a drive to the Raiders' 11-yard line, where they faced a 4th-and-5. The 49ers decided to go for a first down instead of attempting a field goal and fell short, turning the ball over on downs with 1:41 remaining in the game.

Bradley led the Raiders towards midfield in a hurry on completions of 22 yards and 12 yards to Keyton. After a 15-yard completion to tight end Cole Fotheringham and a 20-yard completion to Keyton moved the ball to the 20, the 49ers' defense made a stand with the help of a sack from defensive Sam Okuayinonu and forced the Raiders to settle for the field goal from Carlson to tie the game at 24.

The game ended on a wild note as Mordecai connected on a deep completion that was batted into the hands of wide receiver Trent Taylor as time expired, then the ball bounced around and was lateraled multiple times before the the play came to an end. The play wouldn't have counted had the 49ers scored due to a penalty for an illegal forward pass, but it was certainly an entertaining way for the preseason to come to a close.

Game Notes: The 49ers finished their preseason at 1-1-1 and will now work on trimming their roster to 53 players by the league deadline of 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, August 27... The 49ers kick off the regular season at home against the New York Jets on Monday, September 9 (8:15 p.m. ET/5:15 p.m. PT, ESPN)... Besides Purdy, Samuel, and Kittle, notable starters for the 49ers in the game included defensive end Leonard Floyd, defensive tackles Maliek Collins and Javon Hargrave, cornerback Deommodore Lenoir, and safety Ji'Ayir Brown. Floyd and defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos left the game early due to knee injuries.

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