Silver And Black Pride
Ahead of their preseason matchup on Saturday, August 16, the Las Vegas Raiders and San Francisco 49ers faced off at Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center in Henderson, Nevada, for a joint practice. Below is a recap of how the session went based on beat reporters’ posts on X, formerly known as Twitter.
A big thanks to The Athletic’s Tashan Reed, ESPN’s Ryan McFadden, Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vincent Bonsignore and Levi Edwards of the Raiders’ website for their coverage.
Starting with some housekeeping items, guard Alex Cappa, defensive tackle Leki Fotu, safety Thomas Harper and safety Lonnie Johnson Jr. didn’t practice for the Raiders, while defensive ends Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams were held out for the 49ers.
It sounds like Ashton Jeanty got things going for the Silver and Black, ripping off a long run at the beginning of the full team period.
Reed also reported that San Francisco’s All-Pro tackle Trent Williams was held out of team drills, which helped Maxx Crosby be a problem for the 49ers’ offense.
Also, some Tyree Wilson love!
Staying in the trenches, former Raiders and current 49ers reporter for The Athletic, Vic Tafur, reported that Las Vegas’ offensive line was keeping San Francisco’s defensive line in check. Granted, Bosa not being out there helps the Silver and Black. Also, miss you, Vic!
Tafur noted that tight end Ian Thomas had a strong start to the day, then caught a case of the drops, which was confirmed by McFadden and resulted in an Aidan O’Connell interception.
David Lombardi, 49ers reporter from the SF Standard, noted that the Niners were able to generate some explosive plays against Las Vegas’ defense. Lombardi’s post was shared by both Reed and McFadden.
The Silver and Black’s offense and quarterback Geno Smith had a tough time in the 11-on-11 drills, but apparently had success in the red zone, a significant area of weakness for the team in the past.
It sounds like wide receiver Tre Tucker had a tough start to practice, but he managed to finish the session strong.
Reed noted that, overall, it was a pretty evenly matched practice, with the Raiders’ offense getting off to a slow start but finishing strong. The defense, however, still seems to be figuring it out.
Edwards said that the defense looked good against the run, though.
49ers tight end George Kittle shared some insights on Las Vegas’ defense and spoke highly of Crosby.
No fights were reported, but it seems like running back Raheem Mostert was ready to throw down against his former team.
For some game notes, Raiders head coach Pete Carroll said “everyone’s live” for the second week in a row when asked if the starters will play, while 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said he expects quarterback Brock Purdy and some starters to get in the game.
