Raiders @ 49ers
Final Score: 49ers 34, Raiders 10
Writer: Chris Sanzo (@Doombot12_FF on Twitter)
The 49ers may have had the most intriguing offseason, if for no other reason than pulling off the blockbuster trade to draft Trey Lance with the 3rd overall pick. Today was another must-watch as Kyle Shanahan opened up the playbook a bit to run a 2-QB scheme that had the Raiders on their heels. The running game was in mid-season form and the defense was everywhere, especially the Raiders backfield. Ultimately, it looked like the Raiders had no business being on the same field, and that was reflected in the final score: 34-10 49ers.
Las Vegas Raiders
| Preseason Week 1 | Preseason Week 2 |
Quarterback
Nathan Peterman: 18/29, 175 yards, TD, INT, 3 Sacks | 3 carries, 13 yards
Peterman looked as good as he could have given the circumstances. The Raiders did not play a single starter, including their offensive line. That became painfully obvious as the 49ers lived in the backfield all game. He was elusive at times and had a few well-placed passes, especially one that floated over the head of rookie CB Deommodore Lenoir, which was the first completed pass against him this preseason. Peterman looks comfortable running the offense, but it’s unlikely he’ll see the field all that often while locked in as their QB3.
Running Backs
Trey Ragas: 9 carries, 39 yards | 5 targets, 3 receptions, 15 yards
BJ Emmons: 7 carries, 11 yards | 2 targets, 1 reception, 10 yards
Ragas has looked good this offseason and today was more of the same. The 24-year-old rookie out of Louisiana has shown he deserves a spot on the team and should operate as the 4th back behind Jacobs, Drake, and Richard. He vastly outplayed Emmons, and was their only real producer early in the game against the 49ers starters. Neither have much fantasy value in the near future, but in a deep dynasty, Ragas at least has the ability to produce as a handcuff or Zero RB target, but again, it’s unlikely he’ll ever get the opportunity.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Dillon Stoner: 6 targets, 3 receptions, 69 yards
Keelan Doss: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 28 yards
John Brown: 2 targets, 1 reception, 2 yards
Nick Bowers: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 17 yards, TD
There really wasn’t much going on today and that was evident in the box score. I can’t even say Bowers’ TD was impressive because it was off of a missed tackle by Ambry Thomas that also took out the only defender left to make a tackle.
Nifty from the Nittany Lion. 🙌@pennstatefball X @Nbowers28
FOX5 Vegas | @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/QFnBZGCoNq— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) August 29, 2021
John Brown was given a single downfield look, but was clearly not a part of the game plan. With no starters playing and him still seeing limited targets, I wouldn’t bet on him making the team. Dillon Stoner was the most active and was also the one to beat Lenoir down the sideline on Peterman’s best throw of the day.
San Francisco 49ers
| Preseason Week 1 | Preseason Week 2 |
Quarterback
Jimmy Garoppolo: 4/7, 64 yards | 2 carries, 3 yards, TD
Trey Lance: 6/13, 46 yards | 6 carries, 8 yards, TD
The answer may be both if you’re trying to figure out the QB position for the 49ers. They had some interesting and effective looks early on, switching in Lance for Garoppolo during Jimmy’s drives. The transition was seamlessly bouncing them in and out with the Raiders not being able to find an answer. Jimmy looked as confident and efficient as ever leading the team, especially running the play-action. It was nice to see him pull down the ball and run it into the endzone on a hard-nosed one-yard run, but at the same time, would really like him to avoid contact given his history. It’s a catch-22, but it’s also his reality.
Jimmy Garoppolo scores, but why go head first into a Linebacker in a pre-season game?pic.twitter.com/t5UaiDPxSO
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 29, 2021
Lance was equally effective through the air, though less efficient. That was partly due to yet more drops from his receivers, but also because of a lack of accuracy at times. It’s clear that his emotions are a bit amped up right now and he seems to have a tendency to get a bit wild when things aren’t running smoothly. He looked indecisive when he subbed in and threw the ball. Form-wise, he needs to throw a tighter spiral, especially since he throws quite the fastball. The most impressive part of his game was the two-minute drive. On consecutive plays, he hit Hurd 15 yards downfield and then delivered a perfect throw to Travis Benjamin in almost the same spot. That throw resulted in a DPI. His rushing wasn’t completely displayed, but his TD looked effortless, and his agility kept them out of a couple of bad situations. He missed a couple of opportunities to make a play on the ground, making me wish he was as fearless with his legs as he is with his arm; at least for now.
Lance sets his feet and hits Hurd between 3 defenders with perfect placement and elevation. Hits Benjamin on the next play in a similar location, though Benjamin is interfered with, drawing the DPI. All with a minute left. His 2 Minute Drill work is already impressive. pic.twitter.com/HRp4SXGSiV
— Eat The Rich (@_Doombot12_) August 30, 2021
His flashes are truly impressive, but he has a long way to go before he’s a week-to-week starter. These dual packages could keep him fantasy relevant if they are a normal part of the offense until it’s time for him to take the reigns, or if Jimmy is injured and/or missing time at any point.
Running Backs
Raheem Mostert: 7 carries, 53 yards
Trey Sermon: 7 carries, 37 yards
Wayne Gallman II: 13 carries, 60 yards
Elijah Mitchell: 6 carries, 24 yards
JaMycal Hasty: 6 carries, 55 yards, 2 TD
Wow. This running game is scary. And sadly for Vegas, today was pure domination any way you cut it. The off-tackle runs were impeccable. The blocking at every level was impressive. They even snuck in a counter bash with Lance handing it off to Raheem Mostert.
Trey Lance comes into the game and Kyle goes into his bag and calls QB counter bash. The sky's the limit to SF's ground game pic.twitter.com/rXbkGzTMf9
— Justis Mosqueda (@JuMosq) August 29, 2021
The Raiders were skating and the 49ers were moving them around wherever they needed.
While running with the first team, Mostert had two runs for around 25 yards and was untouched for the first 10 yards on both. His speed to the corner was on display, and he broke out a powerful stiff arm for Raiders’ LB Max Richardson.
Trey Sermon showed off his one-cut running style that allowed him to benefit from great blocking on the outside. The interior was a bit more muddled, but he had a few nice moves to shake loose, turning losses into gains. The talent is obvious, as is the fit.
Wayne Gallman II led the way late, but JaMycal Hasty‘s day was far more fun to watch. He was playing at a different speed than everyone else and was able to cash in on two TDs because of it.
JaMycal Hasty takes it back for 35 yards and a TD 🔥 pic.twitter.com/p3uU9IUdab
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) August 29, 2021
Score: 34-10 #49ers after Hasty’s second TD within minutes. DB Ha Ha Clinton-Dix interception got the ball back before the score. #49ersPS21 #JaMycalHasty @MycHasty pic.twitter.com/hx9XtTJrLM
— 49er_Edits (@49er_edits) August 29, 2021
The lone mark against the run game was Elijah Mitchell. He was unable to ever really get going. He ran to the wrong side of Lance for a handoff which resulted in a loss of yards. He was involved in another bizarre play in which he and Jalen Hurd ran into each other while Lance bobbled around a bad snap. Even on special teams, he failed to do much with his kick return after being tripped up on first contact. It was never going to be flawless, but I didn’t expect him to look so bad after missing time that it may affect his roster spot on the team. The 49ers aren’t going to carry 6th round projects on a Super Bowl contending team, especially if he can’t contribute elsewhere. Jeff Wilson Jr. will eventually return and if Mitchell doesn’t put it together soon, he could be out.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Trent Sherfield: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 26 yards
Jalen Hurd: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 25 yards
Deebo Samuel: 2 targets, 1 reception, 24 yards
Jauan Jennings: 3 targets, 1 reception, 15 yards
George Kittle: 1 target, 1 reception, 14 yards
This group wasn’t exactly the highlight of the game. Drops are still plaguing them, but Lance hasn’t really helped all that much; wobblers and 100mph fastballs aren’t exactly simple catches. Regardless, excuses like that aren’t going to win anyone spots on the team. Jalen Hurd was clearly the focus of the night, but he didn’t do much to help himself. The drops continued and then was unable to get a first down as he was running two yards short of the sticks. Hopefully for Hurd, they will remain patient and let him work his way back from two years out of football with injury.
Trent Sherfield has to have done enough to position himself as top five receiver on this team when Mohammed Sanu leaves, I could see him stepping up a rank and becoming their Z next season in 11 personnel groups. Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, and George Kittle will all be hovering around 100 targets each this year, but Sherfield has shown he deserves some of that workload as well. As for Kittle, he needs to take fewer hits, which he won’t. The man has one speed, full go!
— Chris Sanzo (@Doombot12_FF on Twitter)