By: Cole A. McMahon
(Photo: IG- @49ers)
By: Cole A. McMahon
The Niners faced adversity against a Jarrett Stidham-led Raiders, but survived in overtime keeping their nine-game win streak alive with a 37-34 win.
Brock Purdy made his fourth start of the season and this type of game was bound to happen eventually. Purdy and the Niners had been cruising in their last four games and finally needed to make big plays on offense to stay in it. The Niners were trailing the Raiders by 10, but Brock Purdy handled the task at hand well.
Purdy stated, “It was great for me to go through that and feel it again. The last time I felt like that was in college in the tight games like that” (via: 95.7 The Game).
As the Niners inch closer to the playoffs, having a game where the offense needed to support the defense may be exactly what they needed. Especially with rookie Brock Purdy, having the feeling of being down in games will be great practice going into the playoffs when the Niners can potentially be playing a high-powered offense like the Eagles.
The 49ers’ quarterback missed several opportunities, but Kyle Shanahan liked how Purdy was able “to keep coming back and keep attacking and he never got gun shy” (via 49ers on NBCS).
The biggest story on offense was Christian McCaffrey’s performance finishing with 121 rushing yards and 193 all-purpose yards. It is no doubt that McCaffrey has been the biggest acquisition the 49ers have made this season going 9-1 since they traded for him. McCaffrey’s ability to run the ball and be a threat in the passing game is what makes him so effective keeping defenses on their toes. The Raiders could not stop McCaffrey, averaging 6.4 yards per carry and one rushing touchdown. The 49ers’ run game again was the driving factor for the offense Not to mention Jordan Mason scoring his first NFL touchdown which put the Niners in the lead late in the fourth quarter.
Brandon Aiyuk also put up big numbers with nine receptions for 101 yards and came up with clutch catches toward the end of the game. Aiyuk is closing in on his first 1,000-yard season with 956 receiving yards and one week left.
Now, what happened with the Niners’ defense? They have not been put through such a beating since the 44-23 loss to the Chiefs.
According to Matt Maiocco, Nick Bosa stated that the Niners’ defense “might’ve underestimated Raiders QB Jarrett Stidham.”
The 49ers were unable to get much pressure on Stidham and did not record a single sack. Stidham (making his first NFL start) was shredding the 49ers’ secondary to pieces, taking multiple deep shots throughout the game.
He was able to stay comfortable in the pocket and was given many opportunities to scramble for positive yardage.
“The lanes we gave him, anybody could’ve ran through. Tom Brady could have ran through those,” Bosa explained to the press.
A very underwhelming performance by the defense, allowing the Raiders to put up 500 yards of offense. The poor defensive performance especially in the secondary allowing multiple deep completions to be completed can be a cause for concern going into the playoffs. CB Deommodore Lenoir specifically was a big liability as the Raiders constantly picked on him. You do have to give credit to players like Davantae Adams and Darren Waller both being one of the best in the game and challenging this Niners' defense.
When it mattered most, however, the defense came in clutch in overtime when Nick Bosa shoved the Raiders’ left tackle into Jarrett Stidham causing his pass to get knocked off target into the hands of safety Tashaun Gipson.
Robbie Gould would get his redemption after missing the 41-yard field goal in the last seconds of the fourth quarter. The Niners' were in prime position after the Gipson pick to give Gould a 23-yard chipshot field goal to end the game.
The 49ers now hold the No. 2 seed in the playoffs and have a slim shot at the No. 1 seed if they beat the Cardinals and the Eagles lose to the Giants next week. The Week 18 game for the Niners has been scheduled for Sunday with the time still TBD.
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