The Raiders’ Week 9 trip to San Francisco brought more of the same: a slow start, too many mistakes, and a game that was out of hand before Las Vegas could settle in. The 49ers didn’t need much help to control the day, and the Raiders gave them plenty anyway.
It was a rough showing on both sides of the ball, and while it might not have been the worst outing of the season, it was right there in the mix with the team’s earlier loss to the New England Patriots. Coming off last week’s struggle against the New York Jets, Sunday fit the pattern. San Francisco looked like the sharper, stronger team after its bye, while Las Vegas spent much of the afternoon looking overmatched.
Still, there were a few individual performances worth sorting through, even in a loss that didn’t leave much room for optimism.
One of the few encouraging signs came from Ashton Jeanty. The box score won’t tell the whole story, but in a limited sample, he looked closer to full strength than he has at any point this season. His ankle injury just before the start of the regular season is shaping up as one of the unfortunate breaks of the 2026 season, and the Raiders may have gotten a better idea of what he can do when he’s not fighting through it.
Jeanty averaged more than four yards per carry and likely would have seen more work if the game script hadn’t turned so quickly. The Raiders’ rushing problems, though, don’t appear to be about Jeanty or Mike Washington alone. After Washington’s success last week, Sunday suggested the bigger issue is the support around them.
The tight ends were also a mixed bag. That group has been the Raiders’ most reliable position unit this season, and I believe they have the best group of tight ends in the league.
But both Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer lost fumbles on Sunday, and those turnovers mattered. If either play turns into points, the Raiders have a real shot to stay in it.
On the other side, the secondary remains a problem that keeps showing up. The Raiders need help at cornerback, but that help is not coming this season.
The issues there have been piling up over the last few weeks, and the whole unit is feeling the effects. It’s not just one player.
It’s the group.
That was clear again when Brock Purdy went 8 of 12 for 123 yards and a touchdown in the first half. It’s easy to point to Stokes’ struggles or Porter not being fully healthy, but the bigger picture is that the entire cornerback group is having a hard time holding up. The Raiders’ dependence on inexperienced defensive backs is costing them, even if the organization believes those reps will eventually help the young players grow.
There was one bright spot in that backfield: Stukes. He has been a needed addition and has shown the expected growing pains, but he generally plays well.
In the second half, he picked off Purdy and gave Las Vegas a chance to make things interesting again. His development stands out as one of the positives from this game.
Even with that, the larger reality hasn’t changed much. The Raiders have a long way to go, and this offseason is going to be about fixing the unit one way or another. The progress made on the roster this past offseason was enough to help the team pass last season’s win total before even reaching the midpoint of this one, and the front office deserves credit for that.
But there’s still plenty to address. The defensive backfield is not good right now, and hoping that the struggles there become a long-term developmental win is only part of the equation. The Raiders need more help across the board, and it will be on the front office to put together another major offseason of signings to give this team a better chance to succeed.
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 🡒]