New edition of the former Battle of the Bay!

Summer in Germany is slowly coming to an end and September is almost upon us. These are unmistakable signs that the NFL season is about to start. The pre-season has already reached its final week. This is where a duel with a lot of tradition will be staged again, as the two franchises were separated by just a few kilometers as the crow flies until a few years ago. We are of course talking about the Raiders vs. 49ers duel and our prediction is that a close match awaits

All franchises in the NFL have just one game left in the pre-season. On August 27, next Tuesday, 37 players who did not make the 53-man roster must be cut. The dreams of some talented players will also be shattered in Las Vegas. Players from the second tier will therefore want to show everything on Saturday, which could make for an exciting clash. However, based on the odds, the Raiders are clear underdogs against the 49ers

In February, there was again plenty of disappointment in the Bay Area. Although San Francisco reached the Super Bowl again, the Chiefs led by superstar Patrick Mahomes were once again too strong. If you take a look at the Super Bowl odds currently on offer, it quickly becomes clear that Kyle Shanahan’s team is one of the top favorites again this season. However, our Raiders vs 49ers betting tip is only moderately impressed by this. Do you want to attack the new football season with a new bookie? Then we recommend the tested betting provider Sunmaker, which always offers a great selection when it comes to the NFL.

Las Vegas Raiders – Statistics & current form

Look back! After head coach Josh McDaniels’ project collapsed last season, Antonio Pierce was appointed interim coach in Las Vegas. He won five of the nine games with his team. The result was an 8-9 record and second place in the AFC West. Pierce then had plenty of advocates internally, the most prominent being three-time Pro Bowler and defensive end Maxx Crosby. Pierce was named head coach and now faces his first full regular season.

Crosby now has a congenial partner in Christian Wilkins, who came over from Miami. Together they could take the defensive line to a new level. Experience has shown that the fact that both were only on the field a little during the preseason is of no consequence. However, it has already shown how vulnerable this defense is without its superstars. They scored 24 points against Minnesota and 27 against Dallas. Between the Raiders and 49ers, we dare to predict that the defense will allow significantly fewer points in this game

New starting quarterback

Offensively, the team from the City of Sin certainly has a lot of potential, but the most important position could prove to be a weak point. Last week, Gardner Minshew was named starting quarterback. He now replaces Aidan O’Connell, who replaced Jimmy Garoppolo last season. Considering Minshew’s previous stops in the NFL, he at least has a certain baseline in the passing game. Both quarterbacks will probably play several offensive series on Saturday.

But let’s take a closer look at the group of pass receivers: With Davante Adams, the team still has one of the top receivers, joined by Jacobi Meyers. In the preseason, wide receiver Tre Tucker also made a claim with a total of ten targets. At the tight end position, rookie Brock Bowers stands out in particular. Since the latter in particular is listed as “questionable”, we’re betting between the Raiders and 49ers that he won’t be on the field.

Key Players:

• QB: Aidan O’Connell
• RB: Zamir White
• WR: Tre Tucker
• TE: Harrison Bryant
• K: Daniel Carlson

San Francisco 49ers – stats & current form

No team in the NFL has had such a bumpy preparation as the team from California. There were, of course, several reasons for this. One is the holdouts of Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams, who both want to earn new contracts. Wide receiver Aiyuk has now received official trade clearance. On the other hand, the Niners are plagued by enormous injury concerns. Among other things, the planned training camp with the New Orleans Saints had to be canceled because 23 of the 90 players were injured!

New faces complicate forecast

But that’s not all, because the personnel carousel has been turned a lot. The defense, for example, has a new coordinator in Nick Sorensen, who, however, finds an almost completely changed unit. Players such as Erik Armstead, Chase Young and Randy Gregory have also left the team. However, with Nick Bosa, Javon Hargrave and Fred Warner, there are also important constants on the defensive side. These players did not even play in the preseason and will probably also miss the last game at Allegiant Stadium. However, with only 23 points allowed against the Titans and Saints, the unit has impressed so far

Offensively, there was little to see in the first two pre-season games. Almost all the key playmakers have been rested so far. It is by no means unlikely that this will remain the case on Saturday. That’s why the odds of victory in the match between the Raiders and 49ers are too one-sided in our eyes. The most notable receiver in the 16-10 win over New Orleans was fourth-round rookie Jake Cowing. This year’s first-round pick Ricky Pearsall, on the other hand, has been battling injuries for weeks.
At the quarterback position, there is maximum competition for the backup job. Joshua Dobbs got significantly more offensive snaps than Brandon Allen in the first two games. Dobbs did record one rushing touchdown in the preseason and Saturday’s game will certainly decide which of the two makes the 53-man roster. In Las Vegas, however, Allen will probably play more snaps than his rival.

Key Players:

• QB: Brandon Allen
• RB: Isaac Guerendo
• WR: Jake Cowing
• TE: Eric Saubert
• K: Jake Moody

Las Vegas Raiders – San Francisco 49ers head-to-head comparison / H2H record

While this matchup was “The Battle of the Bay” just a few years ago when the Raiders were still based in Oakland, it has now lost some of its rivalry. This game always had a special charm because the two franchises were only separated by the Oakland Bridge and yet played in different conferences. This meant that, on average, there was a direct duel every four years, which then electrified the Bay Area. This encounter has only taken place seven times in the past 14 years, with the Raiders winning two of them. In the 2023 preseason, they clearly put the Niners in their place with a 34-7 victory in week one. Nevertheless, it should be emphasized once again that results in the preseason should be viewed with caution

Las Vegas Raiders – San Francisco 49ers Tip

This is why the odds between the Raiders and 49ers should not be weighted too heavily. As usual, both teams will be resting their most important players, so a win for the home side is not completely out of the question. For our main betting tip, however, we choose a somewhat safer option and predict that Las Vegas can win the clash with the help of the handicap of 7.5 points.

In terms of expected points, we tend to go with the Niners’ previous preseason games, which ended with 30 and 26 points respectively. Since the over/under on the markets is 34.5 points, we tend to bet that this limit will not be reached.

The betting opportunities on offer on the markets are relatively limited, but this is not unusual in the pre-season. In two weeks’ time at the latest, when the egg flies in the regular season, the choice will increase enormously.