San Francisco controlled the first half without much flash. The 49ers put together 3 touchdown drives of at least 12 plays each, went up 14-0 after the first quarter and led 21-10 at the break. Evans, Samuel and Kirk were all out, and it didn't matter. Long drives and Purdy picking up yards with his legs covered for a patched-together receiver room. The board had the Niners as heavy home favorites, and by halftime that looked about right.
Any hope of a second-half comeback ended on the first snap of the third quarter. Cousins threw a pick-six to linebacker Jaden Dugger, and it was 28-10. Las Vegas did answer with a touchdown in the third, the only points it scored after halftime. San Francisco scored 14 in the quarter and kicked a field goal in the fourth to make it 38-17.
Brock Bowers did his part. He caught 7 passes for 111 yards and a touchdown, his second straight big game. The trouble is that his day also included a lost fumble, and Michael Mayer lost one too. Add Cousins' 3 interceptions and that's 5 takeaways for the San Francisco defense. A Raiders offense that put up 30 on Buffalo and 38 on the Jets can't survive giving it away that often, and Sunday it didn't.
There are some unanswered questions from the preview. The box score we have doesn't break out Christian McCaffrey's day in his full-workload return. It also doesn't show what Nick Bosa or Maxx Crosby did in the pass-rush matchup the preview flagged as the swing factor. The line score shows enough anyway. Purdy threw 1 interception, not the pile of turnovers Las Vegas needed, and the Raiders never got close enough for the pass rush to matter. The one real worry for San Francisco is DT Gracen Halton, who was carted off during the game.
For Las Vegas, the win over the Jets now looks like a one-off. The Raiders are 1-4 in their last 5, with 45, 33, 35 and now 38 points allowed in the losses. The 49ers have won 4 of 5 and showed they can win comfortably without their top 3 receivers, as long as the defense keeps forcing turnovers like this.
