Which 49ers thrived and which ones dived in preseason finale vs. Raiders?

In the final preseason game of 2024 for both the Las Vegas Raiders and San Francisco 49ers, Friday night's contest ended in a tie, 24-24. The Niners couldn't hold on to their 24-21 lead entering the fourth quarter, albeit a valiant try to break the tie in the waning seconds is commendable.

While many performed well, a few players for San Francisco did not deliver and may have found themselves off the final 53-man roster.

Some of the names on both sides of winners and losers are the same as the previous two game reports from the preseason, as well.

Thrived: Cornerback Darrell Luter, Jr.

The 24-year-old talent, Darrell Luter Jr., showed up for the 49ers. He had five total tackles including three solo ones. Luter also had the only pick by San Francisco's defense. He finished the game with three passes defended, too.

Seeing limited playing time last year (seven games), the second-year defensive prospect could help solidify the Niners secondary. He had two other passes defended this preseason, netting him a total of five.

While their roster already boasts the names of Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir as the starting cornerbacks, adding depth behind Isaac Yiadorm is not a bad idea.

Luter is young enough to help keep San Francisco's pass coverage young, athletic and agile. This should help them break up the big plays, as the 49ers ranked 14th overall in passing yards allowed, a game with almost 215 yards.

Dived: Rest of the 49ers defense

Outside of Luter, the 49ers defense struggled to stop both Raiders quarterbacks from moving the chains and throwing the ball downfield. Between Nathan Peterman and Carter Bradley, Vegas tossed for a combined 272 yards, and each hurler was responsible for a passing touchdown.

San Francisco's defense was only able to get to the quarterback for one sack and four quarterback hits. The 2024 schedule has the 49ers going up against top quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers, Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Jordan Love, Jared Goff, Baker Mayfield and Matthew Stafford (twice).

In the first two preseason games, the 49ers only allowed a combined 27 points. In the finale, they gave up 24 points including a critical game-tying field goal in the fourth quarter.

The defense needs to be more cohesive and more efficient in shutting down opposing offenses.

Especially when it carries a lead into both halftime and the fourth quarter.