San Francisco 49ers vs. Oakland Raiders: Full Report Card Grades for Oakland
The Battle of the Bay provided a dominant performance, but it didn't come from the team most expected. The Oakland Raiders outplayed the San Francisco 49ers in every area en route to a convincing 24-13 win.
Even when the game was close throughout the first half, it seemed as if the Raiders were on the verge of something big. The game was tied 10-10 at halftime, but the 49ers were fortunate to be in that position. Oakland had a three-and-out to open the second half. But San Francisco followed up on the next drive with a field goal to take the lead, and it looked as if the game might start to go its way.
But the Raiders immediately took momentum when they went on a 79-yard touchdown drive on their next possession, and they never looked back.
Oakland was better in every facet, and the team played its best all-around game of the year. The offense was methodical and effective, and the defense was able to shut down the 49ers, holding them to three points in the second half.
The Raiders didn't just win on Sunday. They imposed their will and took the game. The result was a well-deserved victory. Here's how they did it.
Quarterback
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Since becoming the starter in 2012, Colin Kaepernick has experienced nothing but success. Derek Carr, on the other hand, entered the game with a 1-11 record. Yet scouts around the league still prefer Carr, according to a poll by 95.7 The Game's John Middlekauff (h/t JustBlogBaby's Chase Ruttig). On Sunday, we saw why.
Despite the struggles he's gone through, the support for Carr from players and coaches has remained. Against San Francisco, he showed off the attributes that have earned him this praise: He was decisive, in control and devastatingly efficient. Here are his final stats:
| Comp/Attempts | Yards | Ave Per Attempt | TD | INT | Rating |
| 22/28 | 254 | 9.1 | 3 | 0 | 140.2 |
The stat line is excellent, but what really made an impression was how he went about his business. He was completely in control of the offense for four quarters, masterfully directing the dismantling of the San Francisco defense.
Carr has show flashes of what he can do, but this was the first time he was able to maintain that level of play for an entire game. The result was a performance in which the 49ers defense, which entered the game ranked fourth in the NFL, was on its heels for four quarters. The unit was never able to solve the Derek Carr puzzle.
This is the type of performance fans have expected from the rookie. More importantly, it wasn't a fluke. It was a sign of things to come.
Grade: A
Running Back
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A look at the stats will tell you that the Oakland rushing attack was ineffective: 31 rushes for 85 yards. There were no big plays, but it still had a positive impact on the game. And that impact was provided by Latavius Murray.
Darren McFadden got the start, but he was only on the field in the first half during Oakland's first drive. He saw another series in the second half, and he was otherwise relegated to the bench. On four carries, he totaled five yards.
The Raiders have lacked a commitment to the run, but they finally showed it with Murray running the ball. He had 23 carries, more than any running back in a single game this season. He gained 76 yards on the ground—an average of only 3.3—but the threat was always there. This meant that the defense had to respect the run, opening up opportunities for the rest of the offense.
What has to be kept in mind is that when a running back has a big game, many of those yards come on a few carries. The rest of the carries are a couple of yards and cloud dust. Murray was able to provide that. He had plenty of short gains against San Francisco's tough run defense, but he also had a long carry of 16 yards. He also had two big gains on Oakland's final drive to pick up a first down and ice the game.
It wasn't a spectacular game from Murray, but it was effective. This is what the offense has been missing, and he's beginning to show that he can provide that on a consistent basis.
The most effective player out of the backfield was Marcel Reece, but he did his damage through the air. He finished with seven catches for 64 yards and a touchdown, his first of the season. Fans have clamored for Reece to be a bigger part of the offense, and he showed why. The more touches he gets, the more effective he'll be. He got those touches against San Francisco, and the offense benefited because of it.
Grade: C+
Tight End
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What a game.
One of the biggest issues the Oakland offense has faced this season has been the absence of a consistent receiving threat. Mychal Rivera has been a top candidate to fill that role, and he showed just what he's capable of against the 49ers in the best performance of his career.
| REC/TGTS | YDS | AVG | TD |
| 7/7 | 109 | 15.6 | 1 |
Every time Carr needed someone to step up, Rivera was there to make a play. He consistently beat his coverage, found wide-open spaces in the defense and showed off his ability to pick up yards after the catch. The Raiders really imposed themselves after halftime, and in large part they were able to do so because of the damage Rivera did.
In the offense's most impressive game Rivera was the unit's most effective weapon.
Grade: A
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Wide Receiver
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Carr completed 22 passes, but only five of them were to wide receivers. The top performer was Andre Holmes, who finished the game with two receptions for 38 yards. James Jones had 11 yards on two catches, and Vincent Brown had one catch for 20 yards.
This group of receivers is solid, but it's missing a true No. 1 option, someone who's going to make a big play even when it isn't there. Given the damage that Rivera and Reece were able to do, things were certainly opening up for the receivers. But they were unable to take advantage of the opportunity.
The biggest mystery remains the designed absence of Brice Butler in the team's plans. Despite what he's done on game days, he continues to fight for playing time with Brown and Kenbrell Thompkins. Butler hasn't been able to show what he's truly capable of, but it's been because of a lack of opportunities. The frustrating part is he's earned that playing time.
The wide receivers didn't have much of an impact. Fortunately, they were never in a position where they had to. They had to make a few key catches, and they were able to come through.
Grade: C-
Offensive Line
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Carr had the best game of his career, and it was thanks to the time the offensive line provided. Throughout the game, Carr had all day to throw. He had time to make his way through his progressions and pick his targets. He was sacked once, but it was on a designed play with less than a minute to go in the game, when the Raiders ran a play on fourth down rather than kick an easy field goal just to take time off the clock.
The 49ers defensive front remains one of the best in the league, but it was negated by the Oakland offensive line. San Francisco tried different looks and blitz packages to get to Carr, but nothing worked. No matter what the 49ers threw at Oakland, the offensive line held. It was impressive to see how comfortable Carr was in the pocket thanks to the line's performance.
The one area where the unit did struggle was in run blocking. Its blocking was effective at times, but there were too many times when Murray wasn't even able to get out of the backfield. This was evident on a 3rd-and-short play when Murray ran up the middle. He was hit just before he reached the line. This happened a few times as the offensive line gave up penetration.
The highlight for the unit came in the second quarter. The Raiders have regularly implemented an extra offensive lineman in recent weeks. On this play, that lineman was Donald Penn, who was an eligible receiver. Carr hit the 6'4", 340-pound starting left tackle for a three-yard touchdown pass. The pass was low and behind, but the big man adjusted, picked it out of the air, absorbed the hit and fell into the end zone.
There's something especially enjoyable in seeing a man that size catch a touchdown pass. It's even better when he leaps in the stands to celebrate with fans.
The pass blocking was excellent, and it was a major factor in the offense's success and the team's win. It was a truly dominant performance.
Grade: A-
Defensive Line
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Stopping the San Francisco offense started up front. The defensive line had to get to Colin Kaepernick and slow Frank Gore, and it was able to do both.
The unit struggled somewhat against the run. It did a decent job of containing Kaepernick, but he still turned three carries into 26 yards. Gore is having a down year, averaging just under four yards per carry. But he averaged 5.3 yards per attempt against the Raiders. More worrisome is that he picked up these yards running right at the middle of the line. The team is weak at defensive tackle, and it showed.
The defense benefited from the fact that the 49ers had to play from behind for much of the game. This forced San Francisco to go away from the run, which led to Gore finishing with only 12 carries. This played into one of Oakland's strengths. The Raiders pass rush was getting to Kaepernick, and it resulted in three sacks by the defensive line, two from Antonio Smith and one from Benson Mayowa.
The defensive line got a good push, and it often made its way into the backfield. Kaepernick was never comfortable, and it forced him into mistakes. More importantly, it got the offense off the field and the ball back into Carr's hands.
Grade: B
Linebacker
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Sio Moore and Khalil Mack are brimming with potential both as pass-rushers and run-stoppers. Moore has had better stats. But against San Francisco, it was Mack who made the biggest impact.
Mack's battle against Joe Staley was one of the key matchups highlighted for Sunday's game, and the rookie came out on top. Although it won't show up in the stats, he affected the 49ers' offensive game plan. San Francisco went away from Mack, rushing away from him and rolling Kaepernick to the other side. Even so, Mack still came up with two sacks, his most productive performance in that department.
Like the defensive line, the linebackers are weak up the middle. But as much as fans and critics like to pile on Miles Burris, he's done an admirable job playing out of position.
He was forced to play middle linebacker after Nick Roach and Kaluka Maiava were lost for the year. This position has a much different set of responsibilities than his natural position of weak-side linebacker. He's not the long-term solution in the middle, but he's done the job well enough.
Given the success the defensive line had in the pass rush, the linebackers didn't have to make as many plays, as shown by their total tackles (six). But they were disruptive, and they never let the San Francisco offense get comfortable.
Grade: B+
Secondary
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On San Francisco's first offensive play, Kaepernick floated a pass long, and Brandian Ross was able to get under it and pick it off just before stepping out of bounds. This play set the tone for the game.
Kaepernick finished 18-of-33, and this was largely due to the Oakland coverage. The unit had four passes defended, and it bookended the game with two interceptions. The first came from Ross, and the second came courtesy of Charles Woodson, which ended the 49ers' last meaningful drive and effectively ended the game.
Tarell Brown had two tackles and a pass defended before he went down with an ankle injury, but D.J. Hayden and T.J. Carrie played well without him.
Kaepernick often looked to throw in Carrie's direction, but it didn't produce the expected results. The rookie was always tight in coverage, and he was excellent as a tackler, finishing with seven, including two for a loss. He continues to show that he's on his way to being an every-down corner.
Hayden has quietly begun to work his way into becoming Oakland's top cornerback. He finished with five tackles, and Kaepernick was more and more reluctant to throw his way as the game progressed. By the fourth quarter, Kaepernick rarely looked in Hayden's direction.
The unit was good in coverage, and it took advantage of errant throws. This was the secondary's best all-around performance of the season.
Grade: A-
Special Teams
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Sebastian Janikowski showed why Oakland continues to pay him the big bucks. He's had few opportunities to show off his leg. He had one on Sunday, and he exhibited plenty of leg as he easily kicked a 57-yarder. If he can maintain his accuracy, he'll remain a dangerous weapon for the Raiders.
Marquette King continues to make his case to be Oakland's MVP this season. He had a relatively quiet game with only five punts, but he dropped two of them inside the 20 and had a long of 55 yards while averaging 46.8 yards per attempt. Field position was a major factor in this game, and Oakland won it thanks in large part to King's punting.
Carrie had a solid day returning kicks and punts, but he's not the long-term solution. He's become too valuable as a cornerback to risk injury on returns.
Unfortunately, Denarius Moore has played his way off the active roster, Murray is slowly taking over at running back and George Atkinson III showed last week that he's not yet ready for the responsibility. Oakland will have to continue to find someone who can do the job every week.
Oakland hasn't given up big plays in coverage, but it's come close. Bruce Ellington returned one punt for 23 yards, and he averaged over 30 yards per kick return on three attempts. The coverage teams have to do a better job of containment and lane discipline on returns.
Special teams were good overall. They produced points, didn't give up big plays and played a major role in getting the team good field position regularly.
Grade: A-
Coaching
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No one's had to take as much criticism in Oakland as the coaches. But at least for one week, they put together a winning game plan, and they were able to have it show up in the game.
The bulk of the criticism has been hurled in offensive coordinator Greg Olson's direction. But against the 49ers, he showed that he is in fact an NFL-caliber coach. The San Francisco defense is a difficult matchup, and he was able to implement the perfect game plan.
After almost 12 games of inept play, he finally went away from McFadden and Maurice Jones-Drew, instead opting to put the ball in the hands of Murray and Reece. This finally gave the offense a dangerous backfield that the defense had to respect, and it opened things up for the passing game.
Once the Raiders started passing, Olson went away from the "let's just avoid major mistakes" approach, instead opening things up and letting Carr attack the secondary. This, combined with the featuring of Rivera, led to Oakland's best performance through the air this year.
Defensive coordinator Jason Tarver continues to show that he can run an effective defense and should be considered to be brought back next season. His unit has been overworked given the offense's inept play, but it showed that it can succeed if given the chance. Playing with the lead, his play-calling attacked the 49ers offense at the source, taking Kaepernick out of the game.
Credit should be given to interim head coach Tony Sparano, who's implemented positive changes to the lineup, even if he's done so slowly. Players like Murray, Reece, Rivera, Mayowa and Justin Ellis have gradually seen more playing time, and the team's overall play has improved.
This was by far the best game plan Oakland has exhibited, and it resulted in its most impressive win.
Grade: A-
Final Grades
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| Positional Unit | Overall Grade |
| QB | A |
| RB | C+ |
| TE | A |
| WR | C |
| OL | A |
| DL | B |
| LB | B+ |
| Secondary | A- |
| Special Teams | A- |
| Coaching | A- |
| Cumulative Grade | A- |
This was the Raiders' most impressive performance of the season. It's not just that they won; it's how they did it. The final score of 24-13 doesn't look all that impressive. But this was a dominant performance.
Derek Carr has had a few good games, but this was truly his coming-out party. He picked apart the San Francisco defense. No matter what it threw at him, he had the answer. He remained calm and in control as he methodically picked the defense apart. This created several sustained drives that led to points, a rarity for Oakland.
The defense, which has played better than the record indicates, shut down the 49ers offense. Yes, it's an offense that's struggled, but that doesn't take away from how effective the defense was. On 11 third downs it only gave up a first down three times. It also had to two takeaways, five sacks and it gave up less than 250 yards of total offense.
The efficiency on both sides of the ball led to Oakland winning the possession battle by more than five minutes, easily its best performance it that department.
The Battle of the Bay went to the Oakland in convincing fashion. It's only the team's second win, but it was especially satisfying given how well it played.
Unless otherwise noted, all stats taken from ESPN.com.
Share your thoughts and opinions on Twitter @BrianJ_Flores.
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