San Francisco 49ers and Las Vegas Raiders will face each other on Sunday afternoon in the final preseason match. After suffering a defeat in Week 1, the home side managed to bounce back with a win last week. On the other hand, it has been an excellent preseason for the visitors, as they have celebrated in both matches so far.
None of these two sides managed to secure a playoff place in the NFL 2020 season. San Francisco 49ers had a 6-10 record, and they finished in the basement of NFC West. It was a steep decline compared to the 2019 campaign when they finished the regular season at 13-3 and reached Super Bowl. The 49ers want to get back on track of success and improve this season. The Raiders had an 8-8 record in 2020, and they finished 2nd in AFC West.
San Francisco 49ers – Can they put another impressive defensive display?
After beating Los Angeles Chargers 15-10 last week, the home side celebrated its first preseason victory. The 49ers relied on one QB, Trey Lance, for most of the playtime. Lance passed for 102 yards on 8-14, two TDs, and one interception. On the other hand, Jimmy Garoppolo and Nate Sudfeld combined for one interception and 39 passing yards. However, the hosts split time at running backs between Wayne Gallman II, who had 72 running yards on 15 carries, and JaMycal Hasty carrying the ball 19 times for 58 yards.
Davontae Harris had the most outstanding defensive record with five tackles, followed by Jared Mayden and Kentavius Street, who had one interception and one sack, respectively. San Francisco allowed only 162 total yards while producing 229 yards in total. The 49ers looked very well defensively, and if they could repeat the last week’s performance, they would have a significant advantage.
Expected Line-Up (Offense): Raheem Mostert, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Mohamed Sanu Sr., George Kittle, Kyle Juszczyk, Trent Williams, Laken Tomlinson, Alex Mack, Jaylon Moore, Mike McGlinchey
Expected Line-Up (Defense): Dee Ford, Javon Kinlaw, D.J. Jones, Arden Key, Marcell Harris, Fred Warner, Emmanuel Moseley, Jaquiski Tartt, Jimmie Ward, K’Waun Williams
Quarter Back: Trey Lance
Kicker: Robbie Gould
with best odds
Las Vegas Raiders – Will they keep the perfect record?
The Raiders are still undefeated, and they come to this game after beating Los Angeles Rams 17-16 on Week 2. Nathan Peterman led the Raiders, throwing for 172 yards and with 35 rushing yards on five carries. Las Vegas’ quarterback also had a touchdown and two interceptions. Alex Ellis and Macell Ateman also had a solid record with 86 receiving yards combined and one TD. We saw the Raiders using different players in the run game, and four of them split a total of 22 carries.
Roderic Teamer starred in Las Vegas’ defense with eight tackles, while Nate Hobbs booked an interception, and Tanner Muse had half of the sack. Las Vegas’ defense has been pretty solid so far, which is encouraging for the visitors ahead of the regular season. Despite playing their third-choice quarterback in both preseason matches, the Raiders are still undefeated, and they hope to continue the streak on Sunday afternoon.
Expected Line-Up (Offense): Josh Jacobs, Henry Ruggs III, Bryan Edwards, Hunter Renfrow, Darren Waller, Alec Ingold, Kolton Miller, John Simpson, Andre James, Denzelle Good, Alex Leatherwood
Expected Line-Up (Defense): Clelin Ferrel, Quinton Jefferson, Johnathan Hankins, Yannick Ngakoue, Cory Littleton, Nick Kwiatkoski, Tanner Muse, Casey Hayward Jr., Johnathan Abram, Tre’von Moehrig, Trayvon Muller Jr.
Quarter Back: Nathan Peterman
Kicker: Daniel Carlson
Expert Pick #1 – 49ers to win ML @-175
Both sides are enjoying a good preseason, and they will search for another win here. However, I don’t expect to see starters getting much playing time, which makes the 49ers favorites. Trey Lance should get a lot of action here again, and his playmaer abilities should lead San Francisco to the victory. I’m taking the 49er to win ML as the major pick.
Expert Pick #2 – 49ers -3.5 @-110
The home side was very good in defense last week, and they want to repeat the same in this clash. The Raiders haven’t been bad defensively either, but I think the 49ers could cover the spread here. I’m taking that bet as my first alternative pick.
Expert Pick #3 – 49ers to win by 7-12 margin @+360
As usual, I’m going with more lucrative odds for the third pick, and you may try it as a long shot. San Francisco to win by a 7-12 margin seems attractive to me, and I’ll take them at the +360 price.
