Bragging rights are at stake once again in the Bay Area as the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders renew their fierce rivalry at Edward Jones Dome this coming Sunday. There’s no question the 49ers are the current kings of football in this part of town but their playoff bid for this season is under serious threat after they were crushed by rivals Seattle 19-3.
They will look to get their season back on track against the Oakland Raiders who were sent crashing back to earth by the St. Louis Rams with a 52-point hammering last Sunday. Can the 49ers get the much-needed win to keep pace with their NFC West rivals? Or will the Raiders score their second consecutive upset at home?
Read on for a complete preview of this much-anticipated showdown and while you’re at it, you can check out our complete NFL Week 14 predictions.
[sc:Football ]San Francisco 49ers vs. Oakland Raiders Betting Preview
When: Sunday, December 7, 4:25 PM ET
Where: Edward Jones Dome, Oakland
Line: San Francisco 49ers (-8) at Oakland Raiders (+8); total: 40.5 – view all NFL lines
Betting on the San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers’ chances of grabbing the NFC West title this season are starting to slip away after they were humiliated by arch-rivals Seattle 19-3 in their own home field.
[sc:NFL240banner ]The Seahawks proved to be Colin Kaepernick’s Kryptonite as the 27-year-old saved his worst performance for Seattle once again. Kaepernick completed just 16 of 29 passes for 121 yards and was intercepted twice by Richard Sherman. His passer rating of 36.7 was the second-lowest of his career, next only to the 20.1 he posted last year against Seattle as well.
The good news for Kaepernick and the 49ers is that they have four more games to make something out of their season. That starts this coming Sunday and they couldn’t have wished for a better opponent for that crucial pick-me-up win in the struggling Oakland Raiders.
Kaepernick will fancy his chances of regaining his form against a Raiders squad that was smoked 52-0 Sunday by the St. Louis Rams. The Raiders are second-worst in the NFL in scoring defense, allowing 28.1 points per game this season. That’s good news for a 49ers offense that is only 25th in the league in scoring, averaging just 19.2 points per game.
It all boils down, though, to how Kaepernick performs on the field this coming Sunday. The fact that he’s not facing the Seahawks is a good start. His record against the Seahawks is a woeful 1-3 while his record against everyone else is a solid 23-8. His 51.6 percent completion rate against the Seahawks also pales in comparison with the 61.5 percent clip he has put up against the rest of the field.
We have to point out, though, that he has yet to face the Raiders in his entire career. Still, Kaepernick should already know by now that the way to beat the Raiders this season is via the aerial route. The Raiders have allowed 22 passing touchdowns this season, seventh-worst in the entire NFL.
The 49ers are 4-2 ATS on the road this season.
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Betting on the Oakland Raiders
Well that didn’t last long. A week after recording their first victory in more than a year, the Oakland Raiders quickly returned to their losing ways as they were ruthlessly bludgeoned by the St. Louis Rams 52-0 last Sunday.
The Raiders defense completely collapsed against the Rams as they suffered their worst defeat in more than 50 years. Whatever momentum they got after their shocking upset of the Kansas City Chiefs last week quickly vanished into thin air after they allowed the Rams to put up a quick 38-0 advantage at the halftime break.
They specifically had no answer for Tre Mason who ran for 117 yards on 14 carries with two touchdowns in the lopsided defeat. The Rams’ ground attack ran roughshod over Oakland’s feeble defensive line, rushing for a total of 172 yards, way above St. Louis’ average of 107.2 YPG.
The offense played a part too in the humiliation as they turned the ball over five times, with quarterbacks Derek Carr and Matt Schaub contributing two apiece. That could mean trouble in their next game against the 49ers which have the second-most number of interceptions in the league this season with 16 already to their name.
Carr will need to take chances, though, with the pass considering that the Raiders’ rushing game have been non-existent this whole season. Oakland is the worst team in the NFL in rushing offense, averaging a paltry 72.5 yards per game on the ground.
The problem is Carr has struggled as well with his passing game this season. The rookie is 32nd among 34 starting quarterbacks in the passer rating department with just a measly 72.4 clip. Only Blake Bortles and Geno Smith have worse passer ratings than him. Definitely not good.
The good news for the Raiders, however, is that they will return to the friendly confines of Edward Jones Dome this week. They shocked the Chiefs the last time they played there so grabbing the upset against the 49ers is definitely in play this weekend. The Raiders are 2-2 ATS in their last four home games.
Writer’s Prediction
The 49ers (-8) beat the Raiders by double-digits.
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