Week 9: 49ers’ Nick Mullens Dominates the Raiders

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NFL

Nick Mullens Too Good for Raiders Defense

Quarterback Nick Mullens led the San Francisco 49ers to victory over the Oakland Raiders 34-3 in Thursday Night Football. In a very one-sided game, the 49ers dominated on both offense and defense.

With both teams struggling during the first half of the season, it made for a far more exciting matchup than many anticipated.

San Francisco 49ers

Offense

The 49ers’ offense had a total of 262 passing yards and 143 rushing yards for a combined total of 405 yards. Nick Mullens had a standout game in what was his NFL debut. Mullens completed 16-22 for 262 yards and three touchdowns with no turnovers.

He had a quarterback rating of 151.9 and a completion rate of 72.7%. Mullens looked confident in the pocket and was accurate with his throws. He completed passes to a total of eight different receivers.

San Francisco looked like a completely different team compared to their Week 7 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. San Fran displayed good momentum from their first drive and carried it for the remainder of the game. They would score on six of their nine drives and decimate the Raiders’ defense.

Nick Mullens started with a great opening drive for the 49ers. Through a combination of big runs from Matt Breida and Raheem Mostert, Mullens marched the Niners down the field for 76 yards, ending in a 24-yard touchdown throw to a wide-open Pierre Garçon.

The Niners’ next touchdown would come from a four-yard pass to Kendrick Bourne in the second quarter. Mullens threw to George Kittle early in the third quarter, with the tight end making an amazing one-handed catch and run for 72 yards. This was backed up by another throw to Kittle for a five-yard touchdown.

The final touchdown came from a 52-yard run from Raheem Mostert with right tackle Mike McGlinchey blocking for Mostert down the field.

Kittle led the 49ers in receiving yards with four receptions for 108 yards. He continues to be an explosive player from week to week and a valuable asset to the offense.

Mostert Injury

Mostert continued to impress, leading in rushing yards with seven carries for 87 yards. He, unfortunately, went down injured late in the game with what appeared to be a broken arm. Players from both sides quickly called for medical staff from the sidelines to assist the injured Mostert.

Defense

The 49ers’ defense applied pressure throughout the game in what was one of their best performances thus far. They started slowly, allowing Raiders’ quarterback Derek Carr to move his offense down the field on his first drive of the game. However, like a switch being flipped, the defense stood strong for the remainder of the game.

The defense improved in all areas, effectively limiting the Raiders’ run game and providing excellent coverage in the secondary. The 49ers’ pass rush showed up, something that they haven’t done for most of the season.

They dominated a poor offensive line, with a total of eight sacks. Cassius Marsh has continued to improve over the last few games, leading with 2.5 sacks. Dekoda Watson had 1.5 sacks while Solomon Thomas, DeForest Buckner, and Ronald Blair also came away with sacks. Fred Warner led the team with seven tackles.

While the defense played quite well, whether they can continue to do so against better teams or regress is something that only time will tell.

Oakland Raiders

There really isn’t much to say about the Raiders’ performance. Their offense had a total of 140 passing yards and 102 rushing yards for a combined total of 242 yards. Derek Carr struggled against the Niners’ defense for most of the game. He completed 16-21 for 171 yards with no touchdowns. He had a quarterback rating of 99.5 and a completion rate of 76.2%.

Carr started the game strongly, with a five-minute opening drive. He moved the ball down the field with little difficulty. However, hampered by penalties, the Raiders would have to settle for a field goal. This would be their only points for the day, with Carr unable to get the offense firing.

The Raiders’ offensive line was nothing but terrible, allowing pressures and sacks. They were unable to hold out an average 49ers’ pass rush coming into the game. Nothing would go right for Carr or the offense, as they looked to struggle with all facets of the game.

Jalen Richard led the Raiders in receiving yards with four receptions for 45 yards, while Doug Martin led in rushing with 11 carries for 49 yards.

Carr was benched in the fourth quarter with A.J. McCarron replacing him for the remainder of the game.

The Raiders’ defense was poor. Nick Mullens had no problems picking them apart and was not placed under pressure at any time. Whether it was the run or pass game, the defense was just not there. They lacked coverage, with players blowing straight past them on several big 49ers plays.

Tahir Whitehead led the defense with a total of seven tackles.

Following Thursday Night Football, the San Francisco 49ers now move to 2-7 while the Oakland Raiders remain at 1-7.

Photo Credit

Featured Image courtesy of alan guido

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