Raiders officially out of playoff contention after overtime loss to 49ers

By Case Keefer (contact)

Published Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023 | 2 a.m.

Updated Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023 | 4:31 p.m.

The Raiders are officially eliminated from playoff contention after losing 37-34 in overtime to the 49ers Sunday afternoon at Allegiant Stadium.

49ers kicker Robbie Gould made a 23-yard field goal in overtime after teammate Tashaun Gipson intercepted a pass by Jarrett Stidham to start the extra period. In his first career start, Stidham played well before the fatal turnover with 365 yards and three touchdowns while completing 23 of 34 attempts.

The Raiders looked destined to go into next week’s final slate of the season against the Chiefs with a chance to reach the postseason. They led 24-14 in the third quarter and saw both results in other games — the Seahawks defeating the Jets and the Patriots beating the Dolphins — fall their way to stay alive.

But the Las Vegas defense ultimately couldn’t hold up, letting the 49ers drive right down the field on four straight possessions to end regulation. Gould made a pair of field goals to start the comeback before Jordan Mason ran in a 24-yard touchdown to put the 49ers up 34-27 right before the two-minute warning.

Undeterred, Stidham led the Raiders on a scoring drive that included an incredible 45-yard catch from Davante Adams where the star receiver somehow kept a ball thrown into tight coverage form hitting the ground. Josh Jacobs ran in a 1-yard touchdown to tie the game.

Gould had a chance to end it with a 41-yard field goal at the end of regulation but just missed.

Adams and 49ers running back Chrstian McCaffrey were the biggest stars of the game. The former had seven catches for 153 yards and two touchdowns, while the latter had 193 combined rushing and receiving yards with a touchdown.

The Raiders fell to 6-10 with the narrow loss despite closing as 10-point underdogs because of the switch from quarterback Derek Carr to Stidham and will be big underdogs next week against the Chiefs.

This is a developing story. Check back to lasvegassun.com later for more coverage and read below for live updates from throughout the game. 

Jarrett Stidham has just more than three minutes to turn his strong debut into an all-time memorable debut.

Las Vegas trails San Francisco 34-27 with 2:17 to play after Jordan Mason rumbled in a 14-yard touchdown. The Raiders’ defense fell apart with the game on the line, allowing the 49ers to score on five plays across 75 yards.

Now it’s time to see if the offense can do the opposite and rise to the occasion.

49ers turn the tide

The Raiders trail the 49ers for the first time this afternoon at Allegiant Stadium with 6:44 left in the game, but it could be worse.

The 49ers drove inside the 10-yard line after an interception by defensive tackle Drake Jackson on a batted-down pass, but the Raiders held from there. Tyler Hall broke up a third-down pass in the end zone intended for George Kittle to force San Francisco to settle for a 24-yard field goal from Robbie Gould. It’s 49ers 27, Raiders 24.

The veteran kicker’s second successful attempt of the quarter leaves the onus on the 49ers’ top-rated defense to secure a victory.  

McCaffrey answers

The Raiders’ double-digit lead lasted less than five minutes of game time.

San Francisco is right back in the game trailing 24-21 with 5:22 remaining in the third quarter. Las Vegas has struggled to contain off-tackle plays with Christian McCaffrey all day and the running back just took one 14 yards into the end zone.

McCaffrey has been the star of the 49ers’ offense with 136 combined rushing and receiving yards on 20 touches. The touchdown he just scored was his first of the game.

Stidham putting up big numbers

The Jarrett Stidham Show keeps producing.

Las Vegas leads San Francisco 24-14 after a career-long 60-yard touchdown pass from Stidham to Davante Adams on a third-down play. Stidham has now completed 14 of 18 passes for 212 yards and three touchdowns.

Las Vegas needed Miami and New York to lose today to keep alive its slim hopes for the playoffs. Miami fell 23-21 to the New York Jets, and Seattle is currently leading New York 17-6.

It’s probably too early to dream that far ahead, but Stidham’s lights-out performance surely has some doing so.

Stidham throws second touchdown pass

 Jarrett Stidham is having one of the best games by a Raider quarterback this season in his first start.

The fourth-year long-time backup just had his second touchdown pass of the day, a 5-yard fade to Davante Adams in the back of the end zone. Stidham put it where only the tightly-covered Adams could get to it, and the receiver responded by dragging his second foot to make sure the catch counted.

Stidham has 146 yards on 11-for-14 passing while also adding 30 rushing yards including picking up several big third downs on the ground. The 49ers will receive to start the second half but the Raiders are in position to potentially pull off a massive upset.

49ers score second touchdown

The 49ers have their first lead of the day at Allegiant Stadium.

San Francisco is up 14-10 on Las Vegas after a 2-yard touchdown pass from Brock Purdy to George Kittle on a third-and-goal play. Two Raiders’ defenders were in front of Kittle in the corner of the end zone and had a chance to get a hand on it, but failed to do so.

San Francisco’s scoring drive accounted for 75 yards on 13 plays and was assisted by a pair of penalties back-to-back on Las Vegas’ defensive backfield — a pass interference on Tre’von Moehrig and a holding on cornerback Nate Hobbs.

49ers match

The Raiders’ defense looked as bad its first time on the field as the offense looked good.

The 49ers tied the game at 7-7 at Allegiant Stadium after an 8-play, 67-yard scoring drive. Brandon Aiyuk caught a 2-yard touchdown pass from Brock Purdy for the score.

The Raiders are dealing with a lot of injuries on defense — headlined by linebacker Denzel Perryman and edge rusher Chandler Jones — and it showed in the 49ers’ first possession. San Francisco ate Las Vegas alive up front.

Jarrett Stidham has perfect first drive

The Raiders aren’t missing Derek Carr so far.

Jarrett Stidham took Las Vegas right down the field to take a 7-0 lead on San Francisco three minutes into the Week 17 game at Allegiant Stadium. On a third-and-1 play, he floated a touchdown pass to tight end Darren Waller.

Stidham completed all three pass attempts on the drive for a total of 58 yards. He also had a five-yard rush.

The Auburn (by way of Baylor) product couldn’t have asked for a stronger beginning to his first career start.

Inactives announced

For the first time in nine seasons, quarterback Derek Carr is listed as inactive on gameday.

This isn’t an unexpected move going into the Raiders’ “Battle of the Bay” rivalry, obviously, but seeing Carr’s name listed as a healthy scratch alongside players like practice squad offensive linemen Netane Muti and Sebastian Gutierrez is still jarring. Carr’s previous backup, Jarrett Stidham, is on the field preparing for the first start of his professional career.

It’s worth remembering San Francisco has a quarterback on its inactives too. Jimmy Garoppolo will miss his fifth game with rookie Brock Purdy due to start.

Garoppolo hasn’t been added to injured reserve because the team hopes he can return at some point. Carr hasn’t been added to injured reserve because, well, he’s not injured.

A major driver in the Raiders’ decision to bench him after all, despite what they say outwardly, was to maintain his health and not guarantee the cost of his contract for another year.

Purdy won’t be seeing the return of his top receiver as some hoped this week as Deebo Samuel is alongside his close friend Garoppolo on the inactives list.

Those are the biggest names on the two teams’ combined inactives, but the Raiders will also have running back Zamir White, cornerback Ike Brown, defensive tackle Matthew Butler and defensive end Tashawn Bower unavailable against the 49ers.

PREGAME

It’s the end of an era for the Las Vegas Raiders, as quarterback Derek Carr, for the first time since coming into the league nine seasons ago, will miss his first start for reasons other than injury.

Coach Josh McDaniels benched Carr for the rest of the season following a 13-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Eve that all but eliminated the Raiders from postseason contention. Former New England Patriot Jarrett Stidham will get the start against the San Francisco 49ers, with undrafted rookie free agent Chase Garbers elevated from the practice squad to serve as his backup.

Carr will spend the rest of the season away from the team and is not expected to attend the game. Las Vegas is the biggest underdog it’s been all season going into a game against former “Battle of the Bay” rival San Francisco, which has won eight in a row despite being down to its third quarterback in rookie Brock Purdy, the final pick of last year’s NFL Draft held in Las Vegas.

Favorable matchup: Healthy and motivated Josh Jacobs vs. 49ers defense

Let’s be real, no running back really is in a favorable matchup against a 49ers defense that rates first in the league in holding opponents to 3.3 yards per carry. But Jacobs simply being on the field, seemingly healed from a handful of injuries that were bothering him last month, should be a big boost to the Raiders. There was some speculation that the fourth-year running back would be shut down for the season alongside Carr, albeit for different reasons. Jacobs could have either sat out by his own volition hoping to stay healthy for free agency, or McDaniels could have shut him down with sights on giving him a long-term deal or franchise tag in the offseason. Neither scenario has happened as Jacobs instead looks to seal up the NFL’s rushing title. He held a 110-yard lead on the second-place running back, the Tennessee Titans’ Derrick Henry, coming into the week, and Henry sat out of his team’s meaningless Thursday night game. Jacobs has been the Raiders’ offensive MVP this season, and it’s only right he finishes out the season if he so desires.

Problematic matchup: Jarrett Stidham’s debut vs. 49ers defense

The 49ers’ defense represents the toughest possible assignment for a quarterback making his first career start. San Francisco’s defense rates first in the league by every overall metric and has star power at every level, if not every position. Stidham will specifically need to look out for edge rusher Nick Bosa, who has an outside shot at breaking the NFL’s single-season sack record. He needs five more sacks in the final two games to tie the record of 22.5. Stidham will also need to avoid making mistakes against a secondary full of ballhawks that includes safety Talanoa Hufanga and cornerback Jimmie Ward, a pair that has combined for seven interceptions on the year. Based on a limited sample size, Stidham shouldn’t be totally helpless. He has drawn consistent praise from McDaniels dating back to their days together in New England, where Stidham started his career by winning the right to be Tom Brady’s backup as a rookie. Stidham led the Raiders to a 4-0 record this preseason without throwing an interception — though also not throwing a touchdown — while averaging 6.9 yards per pass attempt.

Gamebreaker: Edge rusher Maxx Crosby

If the Raiders want to have any shot at pulling off one of the NFL’s biggest upsets of the year, they’ll need to achieve what the 49ers’ last four opponents have failed to do: rattle Purdy. Crosby, who was recently selected to his second straight Pro Bowl, might be the only one left on the Raiders’ defense capable of doing so consistently. Las Vegas added both edge rusher Chandler Jones (elbow) and linebacker Denzel Perryman (shoulder) to injured reserve after the pair got hurt in Pittsburgh, meaning they will miss the rest of the season. Crosby sits fourth in the NFL with 71 total pressures — Bosa is second with 78 behind only Dallas’ Micah Parsons — but has only one sack over the past month. Rookie quarterbacks traditionally perform poorly in their first handful of road games, but Purdy performed well in his only one so far — a 21-13 victory against the Seattle Seahawks on Dec. 15. But the Seahawks’ defense doesn’t have a single player of Crosby’s caliber, so a rude awakening for the former Iowa State signal caller is within the realm of possibilities.

Big Number: 35,222

Derek Carr threw for 35,222 passing yards during his nine-year stint as the Raiders’ quarterback, by far the most in franchise history. Ken Stabler is more than 16,000 yards behind Carr for second place in the Raiders’ record book for career passing yards. A similar gap exists for passing touchdowns, as Carr threw for 217 scores to Stabler’s 150.Carr didn’t win as much as anyone wanted, finishing with a 63-80 record as a starter, but his prolific production secures his place in franchise history. He might not be as easy to replace as it appears on the surface, especially from a longevity perspective. Stidham gets the first crack at becoming Carr’s permanent successor, but it’s a long shot that he holds onto the job heading into next season. Las Vegas is expected to bring in a new presumed starter this offseason, whether it be through free agency, trade or the draft.

Best Bet (6-9): George Kittle under 46.5 receiving yards

It’s time to sell high on the 49ers’ star tight end, who’s had a relatively quiet season until notching two of his biggest games in the last two weeks. Kittle has put up a combined 213 receiving yards and four touchdowns in the 49ers’ last two games, but the breakout has thrown this week’s prop numbers out of whack. Three weeks ago, his over/under receiving yards total was set at 32.5. He’s clearly developed a rapport with Purdy but adding 14 yards to his total is too big of an adjustment. The Raiders remain mediocre in defending tight ends, but it isn’t as much of a liability as it was early in the season. The 49ers will also likely employ a safe, run-heavy game plan that minimizes chances through the air for its crowded group of skill players.

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or