The 49ers probably expected to walk into Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas and cruise to a victory over the Raiders and first-time starting quarterback Jarrett Stidham. They did walk into Allegiant Stadium, but they did anything but cruise in a nail-biting 37-34 overtime win.
Buy 49ers TicketsWhile the game didn’t look like the dominant performances we’ve seen from the 49ers through most of their nine-game winning streak, it did teach us a few things about the club and offer a handful of takeaways with both short and long-term implications.
Here are six of those takeaways:
Moving on up
The 49ers got what they needed Sunday: a win, a Vikings loss, and an Eagles loss. San Francisco is now in second place in the NFC, which means they’re in line to host the No. 7 seed at Levi’s Stadium on wild card weekend. This was the third time the 49ers went into a game needing a Vikings loss to move up, and finally Minnesota didn’t have any late-game magic. The Philadelphia loss moves the 49ers to a game back of the No. 1 seed. If the Eagles lose in Week 18, and the 49ers win, the 49ers will have a first-round bye and home-field through the playoffs.
Team records stay unbroken for now
The 49ers had a couple players gunning for franchise records Sunday. Brock Purdy managed to tie the team’s record for touchdown passes by a rookie. He tossed a pair of TDs to give him 10 for the year, tying him with Tom Owen in 1974 for the most ever by a 49ers rookie signal caller.
Nick Bosa was also chasing Aldon Smith’s single-season sack record. He’s two shy of tying it, but came up with a rare zero-sack day against the Raiders, leaving him with an NFL-best 17.5 sacks. Aldon Smith’s 19.5 in 2012 is the 49ers’ team record.
Bosa comes up big
Despite not notching a sack, Bosa’s pass rush on the second play in overtime directly resulted in Tashaun Gipson’s interception. Bosa pushed Raiders left tackle Kolton Miller directly backward on the play and into Stidham’s lap. Miller was pushed back into Stidham so quickly that the QB couldn’t finish his throwing motion, leading to a fluttering pass well short of its intended target. Gipson was the lucky recipient of the INT, but it was Bosa’s bull rush that made the play possible.
Tough day for Deommodore
The Raiders picked on Deommodore Lenoir a lot, especially with tight end Darren Waller, who’s a hard matchup for any player. Lenoir got beat by Waller, TE Foster Moreau, and WR Davante Adams a handful of times, and he whiffed a couple tackles in the run game. Lenoir has been good lately, which is why his struggles really stood out. There’ll likely be some tweaking in the 49ers’ secondary to ensure Lenoir isn’t so easily put on an island, but they’ll need him to be better in the playoffs than he was Sunday.
Jordan Mason's 1st
Mason finally found the end zone! The undrafted rookie has gotten close a couple of times this season, but was never able to get the ball across the goal line. Sunday in the fourth quarter with the score tied at 27 and the clock nearing the two-minute mark, the 49ers handed the ball to Mason from the Raiders’ 14-yard-line. He picked his way through the left side then exploded through an opening and plowed into the end zone for a go-ahead TD and his first as a pro. His powerful running style may come into play more in the postseason when the physicality is ratcheted up.
Purdy good in the clutch
Purdy struggled some in the first half, but he came back with a much better final 30 minutes and was nails with the game on the line. ESPN’s Nick Wagoner pointed out on Twitter that Purdy went 6-for-10 for 113 yards on the 49ers’ final two drives in regulation. The first series went for the go-ahead touchdown (Mason’s run). The second one got the 49ers into field goal range with a chance to win it on the final play, but Robbie Gould’s kick sailed wide right. Purdy bouncing back to play well down the stretch after some hiccups early on is a good sign for the 49ers as they head into the postseason.
