This preseason battle has lost most of its pizazz since the Raiders moved to Las Vegas from Oakland. However, there are still plenty of fans in the Bay Area where this still means something. The Las Vegas Raiders believe they are ready to take the next step under Jon Gruden, even in a rugged division like the AFC West.
San Francisco thinks it is primed to be back in step after last season’s missteps and reclaim the NFC West. Each will have one last tune-up Sunday before their season opener. The .500 San Fran 49ers are a 3.5-point favorite at top online sportsbooks like YouWager (visit our YouWager Review) for this clash against 2-0 Las Vegas. The NFL odds favor the home team, who is 6-1 SU and 5-1-1 ATS when the host in this former regional rivalry.
Sunday, August 29, 2021 – 4:00 PM EDT at Levi’s Stadium
From the Raiders’ first two games, not much was learned on the surface. That doesn’t mean there were no takeaways to ponder, which probably won’t be known until sometime in October. Specifically, by all appearances, this will be Gruden’s deepest squad, with more help on defense than in the past and essentially everywhere else other than the offensive line. As noted, this will take time to learn when injuries, both short and long term start piling up.
Where this is important is later in the season where La Vegas has collapsed. That was not necessarily all depth problems, but it played a part for sure. What Gruden is looking for in this confrontation is matching or surpassing the physical nature of 49ers football under coach Kyle Shanahan. San Francisco wants to test the will of the opponents and determine if they want to play 60 minutes or less than that. That will be the challenge for Gruden’s group, particularly in the trenches.
Shanahan didn’t try to be coy, saying all healthy San Fran players, including starters, will play against Las Vegas after sitting out the first two contests. That’s the kind of openness one used to see from head coaches, which is not nearly as prevalent today. With the Super Bowl loss over one year removed and having something to prove, the Niners are confident they can reclaim the crown of – best in the NFC. The pieces are there and last season’s injury bug enabled Shanahan and his staff to create more depth and in turn competition on the field.
The lines in particular have gotten back to 49ers football, averaging 161 yards a game rushing at 4.9 yards a carry while limiting the opposing club to 2.9 YPC. And that was with mostly backups. The pass rush has also returned and five were registered last week. The other news was the progression of quarterback Trey Lance from one game to the next. The rookie was far more poised and polished and though long from being a finished product, we got a glimpse of what Lance could be. Jimmy Garoppolo better bring it this week and every game this season, because the future is coming.
Raiders:
49ers:
No question the Raiders are tempting, but just not sure about Derek Carr playing or even Marcus Mariota. As stated, the Niners will play their starters and chances are close to most, if not all of the first half. That should give them a working margin. Though we are not wild about giving the half-point hook at -3.5, smart bettors making NFL picks are doing low-limit wagers this time of year. Then you have this knowledge; the Raiders are 7-19 ATS in road games against NFC West division opponents (losing by 5.5 PPG) and 1-9 ATS after being outgained by 100 or more total yards in the last outing (losing by 9.6 PPG), leading us to backing Frisco.
NFL Pick : 49ers -3.5 (-110) at YouWager (visit our YouWager Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.