San Francisco wraps its preseason slate on the road, and Las Vegas is using the finale to sort out a suddenly crowded quarterback room under a brand-new coaching staff.
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FRI AUG 28 · 5:00 PM PT
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49ers
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Kickoff is set for 5:00 PM PT on Thursday, August 27, but don't expect Brock Purdy or Kirk Cousins to play much. Preseason finales are roster-bubble battles, not tune-ups for guys who already have jobs locked down. For San Francisco, the intrigue behind Purdy is Mac Jones, who's been working through a sore shoulder that popped up this spring. For Las Vegas, first-year coach Klint Kubiak is still divvying reps between Cousins, No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza and Aidan O'Connell, and this is the last extended look before he has to commit to a Week 1 plan.
The injury column matters more than the scoreboard here. Nick Bosa says he expects to be ready for the regular season despite a knee issue, and George Kittle sounds confident about his Achilles recovery, but neither is the kind of guy you risk in an exhibition game. Brandon Aiyuk's trade drama has been the loudest 49ers storyline all summer, which pushes Ricky Pearsall into the starting job opposite a reinvigorated Mike Evans. Las Vegas has its own bodies to track: Maxx Crosby is still working back from offseason knee surgery, and right guard Jackson Powers-Johnson is coming off an ankle issue that could shape how the retooled offensive line looks in front of Ashton Jeanty.
None of that will show up cleanly in a preseason box score, but it's the real subplot of the night. The backups on the field are auditioning for the 53-man roster, and both franchises are entering the cutdown stretch with real questions about who sticks.
San Francisco 49ers
Las Vegas Raiders
San Francisco's last five results are a reminder of how streaky this roster looked late last season — blowout wins over the Colts and Bears sandwiched around ugly losses to Seattle, including a 6-41 no-show to close the year. Las Vegas' finish was rougher: four straight losses before salvaging a 14-12 win over the Chiefs in the finale. Neither trend means much for a preseason game played mostly by backups, but it's the backdrop both fan bases are carrying into this one.
San Francisco 49ers
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Fully healthy — no injuries to report
Las Vegas Raiders
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Fully healthy — no injuries to report
Jeanty enters year 2 as the clear focal point of Kubiak's offense after a rookie season spent fighting through a shaky offensive line — he led all rookies in scrimmage yards a year ago, and new pieces up front are supposed to make life easier. On the other sideline, Christian McCaffrey has already said he wants another heavy workload behind an offense that still runs through him and Kittle. Whoever wins the backup reps Thursday won't change either team's plan at the top, but it'll go a long way toward deciding who's watching Week 1 from the couch.
