We knew coming into this game that the Raiders wouldn’t be playing their starters. But the 49ers had a different plan. So, when the Raiders trotted out second teamers.
A 29-yard Deebo Samuel catch put the 49ers in field goal range. But a Janarius Robinson tackle for loss on a run helped stop it there. They settled for a 49-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead.
The next drive, the 49ers first teamers moved right through the Raiders defense to easily score a touchdown and take a 10-0 lead.
Meanwhile the Raiders offense wasn’t answering anything. They went three-and-out to start the game, and then after their first first down of the game, Dylan Laube fumbled the ball away.
The 49ers kept their first teamers on the field and the Raiders defense took the ball right back, with Christopher Smith intercepting it off a Sam Webb deflection.
Eventually the Raiders would get on the board, but it wouldn’t be on offense. It was after the Raiders defense forced their first punt – after the 49ers first teamers had left the game – and Tyreik McAllister took the punt back 81 yards for the touchdown.
On the ensuing kickoff, the 49ers answered with a long return of their own to the Las Vegas four-yard line. And punched it in on two plays to go up 17-7.
It was late in the second quarter before Nathan Peterman was able to get anything going for the Raiders on offense. He drove the team down the field and finished it off with a touchdown pass to Kristian Wilkerson to make it a 17-14 game at the half.
Carter Bradley entered the game at quarterback for the Raiders to start the second half. And he got a masterful catch by Tyreik McAllister, who came back to get the deep pass and finish it off with a touchdown to give the Raiders their first lead of the game at 21-17.
Once again, the 49ers would answer, this time with Josh Dobbs in at quarterback, going 55 yards on 11 plays with Dobbs throwing the touchdown to Jacob Cowing from ten yards out.
A forced fumble early in the fourth quarter gave the Raiders the ball back down 24-21. Bradley went back to McAllister for a long completion to put the Raiders instantly in goal to go at the eight. But they couldn’t punch it in. They would go for it on 4th and goal from the three and Bradley lofted the pass for Ramel Keyton and it was picked off in the end zone.
Neither team scored in the fourth quarter…until the final seconds. After both teams went for it on fourth and goal and failed, the Raiders drove down and kicked a field goal to tie it up at 24-24 with a few seconds left. Because…I guess tying up a meaningless game is more important than trying to actually win it.
At least with the new preseason rules, there is no overtime, which means the game ended in a tie. And thank God for that.
The tie means the Raiders went 0-2-1 this preseason with previous losses to the Vikings and Cowboys. Good thing these games don’t actually count.