The 49ers spent the first half doing exactly what their offense has done all year: rolling downhill and making it look easy. By halftime in Sunday’s matchup with the Raiders, San Francisco had already stacked three long touchdown drives and walked into the break with a 21-10 lead.
It started with Christian McCaffrey punching in a 1-yard touchdown run, a score that extended his streak to seven straight games with a rushing touchdown. That’s now the longest such run in a single season in franchise history.
From there, Brock Purdy joined the party. He capped a 13-play, 89-yard march with a 1-yard touchdown run to make it 14-0, and the 49ers kept the pressure on when McCaffrey finished off another methodical drive with a 12-yard receiving touchdown. San Francisco’s first three scoring possessions all lasted at least 12 plays.
The only real stall came on a possible two-minute drive, when the offense backed itself up with a sack and an illegal shift.
Purdy was sharp throughout the half, going 8 of 12 for 123 yards and a touchdown through the air while also adding six carries for 40 yards and a score on the ground. McCaffrey had 13 carries for 58 yards and the touchdown run.
Las Vegas finally answered early in the second quarter when Kirk Cousins sneaked in from 2 yards out. That was his second rushing touchdown of the season, which also made him the Raiders’ rushing touchdown leader.
Cousins finished the half 6 of 8 for 48 yards, while Ashton Jeanty had 24 yards on five carries.
The 49ers controlled the clock, too, nearly doubling up the Raiders in time of possession, 20:35 to 9:25. Las Vegas will get the ball to start the second half.
In Other News...
Raiders Face A Trade Deadline Choice That Could Define This Run
The Raiders have spent the first part of the season making a better case for themselves than almost anyone expected, and that has turned the next few weeks into a real test of how serious they are about staying in the playoff picture. With the November 10 trade deadline approaching, the front office has a chance to answer a simple question: is this a team content to ride the momentum, or one willing to push chips in while the window is open?
The roster has clear pressure points, even if the record has softened some of the early skepticism. Help at wide receiver would make life easier on Ashton Jeanty and give the offense more balance, while the defensive front could use another body to complement Maxx Crosby and keep the pass rush from wearing down. Several names have surfaced as possible fits, and the Raiders now have to decide whether to stand pat or make the kind of move that can shape the rest of this run. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Face Early Roster Pressure Around J.K. Dobbins And Secondary
Maxx Crosby has been one of the more steady voices around the Raiders as camp chatter starts to settle into real roster questions, and he sounded encouraged by where the team is headed. The veteran edge rusher said he likes the locker room and trusts the new leadership, while also pointing to both Klint Kubiak and first-time defensive coordinator Rob Leonard as reasons for his optimism about the direction of the group.
On offense, the conversation around Ashton Jeanty has already taken on a familiar training-camp split: what he has done as a receiver versus what he has shown as a runner. Offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko said Jeantys work in the passing game has been stronger than his production on the ground, but the team is treating the rushing issues as something bigger than one back, a sign that the Raiders are still sorting out how the whole offense wants to function. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders May Have Found A First Round Answer To Their Guard Problem
The Raiders have spent enough time searching for stability inside that any promising young lineman is worth a long look, and Minnesota guard Greg Johnson is starting to look like the kind of first-round option that could fit the bill. He brings the size teams want up front, and his tape points to a blocker who can help in both phases, giving Las Vegas a potential answer to a spot that has been a recurring problem.
What makes Johnson especially intriguing is how much more than a simple guard prospect he appears to be. His versatility gives him appeal across the offensive line, and his work in pass protection and run blocking suggests a player who could step into a bigger role quickly if he continues on this path toward the 2027 NFL Draft. For a Raiders team trying to build real durability in the trenches, that kind of flexibility is hard to ignore. [Read more 🡒]