The Raiders are heading back to Levi’s Stadium for the first regular-season meeting in Santa Clara since Las Vegas moved its headquarters, and the buildup still carries plenty of old Bay Area edge. The rivalry may not hit the same way it once did, but there’s still no love lost between these two franchises.
That’s the read from Peter Panacy of NinerNoise, who laid out what Raiders fans should know about San Francisco heading into the Week 9 matchup. On the crowd question, he expects the building to lean heavily red and gold.
“It'll definitely be a 49ers-centric crowd, although the Raiders are represented enough to have a good showing. All those NorCal Raider Nation fans who can't travel to Vegas will want to make sure they're heard. But it's not a heated rivalry anymore.”
Panacy also said San Francisco’s 2026 rookie class has not generated much noise yet, with one exception.
“Aside from Kaelon Black being buff, there hasn't been much of a buzz during workouts. Romello Height has some pass-rushing speed that should be fun to watch, but it'll be hard to gauge that until the pads come on at training camp.”
There’s also a familiar face factor for Las Vegas with Klint Kubiak and Spencer Burford now in the mix. Panacy described Burford as a “high-level backup, below-average starter,” while noting that staying in a Shanahan-like system should help him. As for Kubiak, he thinks it will take time for the offense to fully come together.
“It'll probably take at least a year for Kubiak to get the necessary pieces in place, though. Such is the complexity of the offense.”
The Brandon Aiyuk situation remains unresolved from San Francisco’s side, and Panacy didn’t sound eager to see the 49ers make life easier for him.
“Why give Aiyuk what he wants after what he did to the franchise? If anything, he's letting out his true self as of late. And since the Niners play Washington this season, there's no reason to give the Commanders an early edge on meshing him with their offense.”
On the defensive side, Panacy said the 49ers’ offseason work has not produced a ton of buzz around former Raiders cornerbacks Nate Hobbs and Jack Jones, though he wouldn’t rule out either one seizing the CB2 job opposite Deommodore Lenoir. That spot, he said, is open.
When asked about the biggest move San Francisco made this offseason, Panacy pointed away from the names fans might first mention and toward the interior of the defense.
“Fans can talk about Mike Evans, and that's fine. But Osa Odighizuwa destroys the interior of opposing offensive lines. Considering the NFL's worst sack totals last year, Odighizuwa should have an immediate impact.”
As for where the Raiders might find an opening, Panacy pointed to depth.
“If anything, it'll be the depth. The Niners are awfully top-heavy with star talent across the board but awfully little elsewhere. So, if you're looking at a 49ers team that's banged up again, it'll be a major problem unless the rookies and second-year pros finally show up.”
And the biggest problem for Las Vegas if San Francisco is healthy? The pass-catching talent.
“The pass-catching depth now, assuming it's healthy. Evans is a future Hall of Famer, and if George Kittle is fully healthy, then that's good, too.
And Christian McCaffrey is one of the best pass-catching tailbacks in the league. All of it hinges on those names avoiding injury, though.”
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