The Las Vegas Raiders return to the Bay Area for the first time since relocating from Oakland, facing one of the NFL’s best teams thus far, the San Francisco 49ers.
Las Vegas is 4-4 and could find itself back in the playoff sweepstakes with an upset in Santa Clara. The Raiders need to thrive in a few key matchups while head coach Klint Kubiak looks to establish more balance in his offense, which is a top-five passing unit in the NFL. Here are five players to watch on Sunday against San Francisco.
Trey Zuhn III, Right Guard
The Raiders may have found their starting right guard for the foreseeable future. Zuhn looked impressive against the New York Jets in his first career start, and it is no surprise that a technical player with good functional athleticism was able to have some success this early.
Against a 49ers defensive front with DeForest Buckner and Osa Odighizuwa, it will be one of the biggest challenges of his young career and a potential “Welcome to the NFL” moment.
Jermod McCoy, Cornerback
With Darien Porter questionable to play, there is still uncertainty about whether he’ll have significant reps against the 49ers if he does.
Either way, Raiders fans should be keeping an eye out for rookie Jermod McCoy, who had a rough go against the Jets and is still getting his feet under him after missing football for nearly two years. Look for McCoy to be in the cornerback rotation whether Porter plays or not.
Jalen Nailor, Wide Receiver
Nailor has been the best route runner on the team thus far and was getting open before last week, when he caught four passes for 38 yards and a touchdown.
The free agent signee from Minnesota has not been productive this season, but it seems like the Raiders are finally getting him the ball, and the offense is beginning to produce and become more efficient in the passing game than it was. Look for Nailor to continue to get looks against the 49ers.
Taron Johnson, Nickel
Arguably the most consistent cornerback on the roster, Johnson has been a steady presence at nickel this season, and I think that will continue this week against the 49ers.
Johnson is likely to match up against a mixture of George Kittle, Jordan Watkins, Jacob Cowing, or even Christian McCaffrey. He’ll play a key role in the secondary and run support, which has been lacking on the defensive front lately.
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