SANTA CLARA — A rested and rejuvenated 49ers team played host to the reeling Raiders on Sunday afternoon, and it played out about as expected.
San Francisco ran the ball down the throats of the Las Vegas defense, opened up a two-touchdown lead on its first two drives and never looked back in a commanding 38-17 win.
Rookie linebacker Jaden Dugger took Kirk Cousins’ first pass of the second half to the house, and the 49ers forced four more turnovers after halftime to ensure they came out of their bye week on the right note.
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An instant report card from San Francisco’s win to improve to 7-1:
Quarterback: B+
For the most part, like the rest of the 49ers’ offense, Brock Purdy’s best work of the afternoon came on the ground. He was forced out of the pocket, but it usually worked in his favor.
He picked up 40 yards on seven runs, including three scrambles on the 49ers’ second scoring drive of the opening quarter. Facing third and 14, Purdy escaped for 18 yards and first down into the red zone. Two plays later, he was on the move again for another first down, inside the 10, and he capped it off by out-stretching the ball over the goal line to put the 49ers ahead 14-0.
After a week off, Purdy had some rust to shake off early on, notably missing a wide-open George Kittle for what would have been a big gain, but settled in as the game went on.
Purdy underthrew Kittle in the second half and was picked off for the fifth time this season. But the 49ers defense negated it almost immediately, forcing a fumble two plays later.
Purdy finished 17-of-25 for 232 yards through the air and a pair of touchdowns to offset the INT. His second touchdown pass of the afternoon was the 100th of his career.
Running backs: A
Las Vegas, with the NFL’s 31st-ranked rush defense, had no answer for McCaffrey, Purdy or even second-string running back Jordan James. Coach Kyle Shanahan was happy to spam the game’s biggest mismatch to the tune of 190 yards on the ground of their 414 total from scrimmage.
McCaffrey scored once on the ground and once through the air, hauling in his first receiving touchdown of the season and the 37th of his career, passing Marshall Faulk for the most by a running back in NFL history.
Wide receiver/tight ends: B+
The addition of Demarcus Robinson and another two weeks for Brandin Cooks to get integrated into the 49ers’ offense apparently made all the difference in the 49ers’ passing game.
The last time they took the field, in a 29-20 loss to the Falcons, it took Purdy until midway into the second quarter to even attempt a pass to one of his wideouts.
Still missing Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel, it was a different story against the Raiders.
Purdy’s first pass of the game went to Robinson, playing his first game since spraining his ankle in Week 2, and went on to complete 11 passes on 12 targets to his wide receivers.
Cooks caught multiple passes for the first time in a 49ers uniform. Jordan Watkins hauled in his first career touchdown, outmuscling Hezekiah Masses’ man coverage in the end zone for a 37-yard strike. Jacob Cowing only produced one catch for five yards, but he used his speed to draw a pass interference penalty in the end zone, setting up Purdy’s TD scramble.
Offensive line: B+
Running holes were fairly easy to come by for the 49ers, who averaged 4.4 per carry on the ground. Maxx Crosby could only be contained for so long, and the five-time Pro Bowler got to Purdy once for a loss of eight yards, but that was the only sack San Francisco allowed.
Defensive line: A
For the first time since Week 2, Nick Bosa lined up wide. And for the first time since their Super Bowl loss seven years ago to the Chiefs, DeForest Buckner was just a few gaps over from him.
Despite the reinforcements, the 49ers failed to record a sack of Kirk Cousins, but they laid six hits on him and got into the backfield for nine tackles for loss.
They didn’t have to get home to the quarterback to make their impact felt.
Bosa got free off his block to blow up a screen pass to Michael Mayer for a loss of four yards. The next play, Osa Odighizuwa broke through the middle and Romello Height brought down Mike Washington Jr. for a loss of five more.
The sequence stalled the Raiders’ offense after a kick return gave them the ball in 49ers’ territory and forced them to settle for a field goal.
Ashton Jeanty mustered only 25 yards on six handoffs, while Las Vegas averaged a mere 1.6 yards on 15 handoffs.
Linebackers: A+
When the 49ers needed a big play from their defense, it was their linebackers who stepped up — and not only the usual suspects, though Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw made plays, too.
Dugger’s pick-six set the tone for the second half, making the most of a broken play after Cousins fumbled the snap and tried to force the ball to Tre Tucker.
Warner played a part in the other two 49ers’ turnovers, punching the ball out of Brock Bowers’ arms for Greenlaw to recover, then jumping on Michael Mayer’s fumble in the end zone.
Secondary: A
The Raiders were about a half yard away from cutting the 49ers’ lead to a single score late in the third quarter. Three plays after stopping the 49ers on fourth down and taking over in their territory, Michael Mayers hauled in a pass from Cousins and was barreling toward the goal line.
Then Upton Stout punched the ball out as Ji’Ayir Brown brought him to the ground.
Warner jumped on it, keeping the score at 28-17, and that was as close as the Raiders would get. Purdy found Watkins for a 37-yard score on the ensuing drive, making it 35-17.
With the outcome all but decided, Malik Mustapha came down with the defense’s second interception of Cousins on a third-and-long heave with 4 minutes left, sealing the win.
Cousins hadn’t turned the ball over more than once in a game since Week 1.
Special teams: C
Eddy Pineiro took a step in the right direction, nailing all five of his extra points and knocking down a 35-yard field goal that padded the 49ers’ lead, 38-17.
But it was more of the same from the 49ers’ kickoff team, which allowed Dylan Laube to run one back across midfield and amass 197 yards on seven kickoff returns.
The Raiders’ offense, by contrast, mustered only 240 yards from scrimmage.
