Let me make this clear off the jump: The 49ers had no excuse not to look good on Friday night in Las Vegas. Not only are the Niners a significantly better team than the Raiders, but San Francisco put a bunch of first-string players on the field in the team’s preseason finale. And the Raiders did not.
So Brock Purdy and the Niners’ offense should have looked good. The 49ers’ defense — even without some of its cream-of-the-crop stars — should have commanded the first half game. And they did.
So that’s good. Will the same truth apply to the Niners’ season opener on Sept. 9 against the Jets? We’ll find out soon enough.
Brock Purdy The Russell Wilson-like devil magic was on full display on Friday, with Purdy roaming around the backfield, pulling plays out of thin air. His third-down throw to George Kittle — over a linebacker and in front of a collapsing safety, with Kittle having to go way up to get it — was a thing of beauty. His frozen-rope throw to Chris Conley while rolling out to the right should be highlight-reel stuff — if only folks around the NFL viewed Purdy as a highlight-reel kind of player.
He picked up big gains with his feet, arm, and had the 49ers’ offense purring, even without Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams. His one blemish in the game — an interception — can be pinned on Deebo Samuel, who let the ball bounce off his hands. The Raiders picked up the deflection.
Again, Purdy wasn’t facing the best of the best the Raiders had to offer.