The Las Vegas Raiders on Wednesday threw a curveball at their Week 17 showdown with the 49ers when they announced the benching of starting quarterback Derek Carr.
Carr’s relegation to the third-string QB for the Raiders, who are still in playoff contention FYI, opened the door for third-year signal caller Jarrett Stidham to make his first-career start.
Stidham’s 11 games since joining the NFL as a fourth-round pick of the Patriots in 2019 draft have been underwhelming. On 61 pass attempts he’s amassed a 52.5 percent completion rate, 5.6 yards per attempt with two touchdowns and four interceptions. Despite the change under center, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan still sees enough talent on the Raiders’ roster to knock off the 49ers at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday.
“I see some great players who can beat you,” Shanahan said. “hat’s why I think they’ve had a chance in so many games this year and they have been close. They’re just a few the ball bouncing a different way to be in locked in as a playoff team right now, so I know they’re sitting down their quarterback, who I think’s a real good player, but they also got three big time weapons there on offense. Their defensive end in Crosby is playing as probably the second-best defense player in the league. At least that I’ve seen this year. I think he’s been unbelievable, so they got some guys who can wreck games and you better be on your stuff regardless.”
The three big-time weapons on offense presumably refers to running back Josh Jacobs, tight end Darren Waller and wide receiver Davante Adams. They also have slot receiver extraordinaire Hunter Renfrow who is an extremely tough cover on third downs.
That group was supposed to spearhead a playoff-caliber offense under the guidance of head coach and former Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. While they’ve gotten good production from that group, Carr’s play left something to be desired with the coaching staff which led to the change under center.
For Stidham, that group will make his transition to the starting role at least a little bit easier, though it doesn’t necessarily guarantee his success.
The Raiders don’t have as much talent on the defensive side, but there aren’t many defensive ends better than Maxx Crosby (Nick Bosa is one of them, for the record). Crosby is good enough to wreck a game, and he’ll be a handful for 49ers right tackle Mike McGlinchey.
If Vegas’ stars show up, they’ll be tough to beat no matter who is playing quarterback. The 49ers are the more talented team overall though – they just have to avoid overlooking their final road opponent of the year.
