49ers vs. Raiders prediction and odds for NFL preseason Week 1 (Too much QB talent in San Fran)
Can Trey Lance lead the 49ers to a preseason win?
By Peter Dewey
The San Francisco 49ers begin their preseason against a familiar foe, Jimmy Garoppolo and the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.
San Francisco has a quarterback competition going on, but Brock Purdy looks to be firmly entrenched as the team’s starter over former top picks Sam Darnold and Trey Lance. However, Purdy – who is recovering from elbow surgery – is unlikely to play Sunday, according to head coach Kyle Shanahan.
Kyle Shanahan on the plan for QB’s during Preseason Week 1 vs. Raiders
— Sterling Bennett (@49ers_Access) August 7, 2023
“I doubt Brock [Purdy] plays. We haven’t fully decided it yet. Usually when we scrimmage against guys we rarely play our starters [in the game]…”#49ers | #FTTB pic.twitter.com/eHhloXYITU
Despite that, San Francisco is still favored by four points in this game against Josh McDaniels and Las Vegas.
The Raiders are undergoing a bit of a transformation with Derek Carr being released this offseason, but they hope to be back in the playoff mix after a down 2022 campaign.
Here are the odds for Sunday’s preseason Week 1 showdown:
49ers vs. Raiders odds, spread and total
49ers vs. Raiders prediction and pick
There are plenty of proven quarterbacks who could be playing in this game between Lance and Darnold for San Francisco and Garoppolo and Brian Hoyer for Las Vegas.
Garoppolo had offseason surgery on his foot, so I wouldn't be shocked if the Raiders are cautious with him in the preseason since he’s going to be the team’s starter.
Meanwhile, Lance and Darnold are battling it out for the backup job behind Purdy, and they could make a push to start if the former seventh-round pick struggles early in the 2023 season.
Given the strong quarterback San Francisco should have, I like it to win this game.
I also think it’s worth noting that both of these coaches are very similar in the preseason in their careers:
Kyle Shanahan preseason against the spread record
- Kyle Shanahan is 9-8-1 against the spread in the preseason as a head coach.
Josh McDaniels preseason against the spread record
- McDaniels is 7-5 against the spread in the preseason during his stints as a head coach with the Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders
Lance should come out in this game with something to prove after losing his starting job because he was injured in 2022. I think he could be a breakout candidate this preseason and gives San Fran a serious edge in any matchup compared to most backups.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.