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NFL Oakland RaidersSan Francisco 49ers

Predicting the Final Score of San Francisco 49ers vs. Oakland Raiders

By @sdmeyers1

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Both the San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders enter Sunday’s matchup on the heels of devastating setbacks. San Francisco dropped a Thanksgiving night tilt against the rival Seattle Seahawks 19-3, while the Raiders were dominated in all phases by the St. Louis Rams in a 52-0 defeat. As a result, both teams should be eager to get the bad taste out of their mouths by getting back into the win column in Week 14.

After three consecutive trips to the NFC Championship Game, the 49ers don’t appear to be the same powerhouse squad this year. The 49ers’ loss last week proved costly to their playoff aspirations, as it dropped them into eighth place in the NFC. In that contest, the offense was woeful for the 49ers, which has been a lingering problem for most of the 2014 campaign.

San Francisco accounted for a meager 164 total yards of offense, as the Seattle secondary stifled the 49ers’ passing attack. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who has been efficient but unspectacular for most of the season, had a dreadful performance, connecting on just more than half of his passes and tossing two interceptions. Kaepernick at times has been victimized by an underperforming receiving corps and an inconsistent offensive line, but against the Seahawks, much of the blame fell on him. His early interception came on an errant throw to Brandon Lloyd, and he was never able to find a rhythm with either his arm or his legs. San Francisco has notched 17 points or less in five of the last six contests.

The porous Raiders’ defense could provide the 49ers with an opportunity to rectify their issues on offense, though, as Oakland particularly struggles against the run. The Raiders rank 27th in the league, allowing more than 130 yards rushing per game. The Rams capitalized on that weakness, as they averaged nearly seven yards per carry.

Although Oakland has fared much better against the pass, the Raiders could struggle to get pressure on Kaepernick with just 13 sacks in 2014. To that point, Justin Tuck and Sio Moore tie for the team lead with just three sacks a piece. Although the Raiders’ defense struggled last week in the defeat, Oakland’s offense has been putrid all season long. The team ranks last in points per game and total offense, making the 49ers’ attack look explosive by comparison.

Rookie signal-caller Derek Carr had been one of the few bright spots this season, but his performance on Sunday was perhaps the worst of his pro career. He was benched in the second half of the game, but with veteran Matt Schaub also struggling, the Raiders will again call on Carr to start against San Francisco. Expect Carr to bounce back, as the Fresno State product has shown plenty of resolve this season.

His task will not be easy on Sunday, though, as the return of Aldon Smith a few weeks ago as made the 49ers’ pass rush much more formidable. Smith has teamed with Ahmad Brooks and rookie Aaron Lynch to provide the pressure that the 49ers’ defense sorely lacked early in the season. That trio, combined with the unheralded but solid secondary for the 49ers, has allowed the team to rank fourth-best in passing defense.

As a result, the Raiders may look to get their duo of running backs, Darren McFadden and Latavius Murray, heavily involved. McFadden has struggled since the beginning of November, as he has not topped 30 yards in each of the past five games. Murray, however, provided a big spark in Oakland’s lone win of the season, as he rushed for 112 yards on just four carries against the Kansas City Chiefs two weeks ago. He was sidelined with a concussion last week, but he’s expected to suit up and could give a real boost to the Raiders’ attack.

In the end, though, Oakland should be overmatched by San Francisco’s superior talent at nearly every position. The 49ers need to bounce back to remain in the playoff hunt, as they will likely need to win at least three of their final four games to have a chance at the postseason. Conversely, Oakland has little to play for except to restore the pride that was damaged last week.

This game could be competitive for the first half, but the 49ers should eventually pull away.

Prediction: 49ers 27, Raiders 10

Sean Meyers is a professional wrestling writer for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter and “Like” him on Facebook.

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