The Raiders ran one offensive snap after halftime before San Francisco was back in the end zone. Kirk Cousins recovered a mishandled exchange and threw toward Tre Tucker. Jaden Dugger caught the throw himself and went 35 yards the other way. It was his first NFL interception. The 49ers led 28-10 at Levi’s Stadium before the second half had found much of a rhythm.
The 49ers eventually won 38-17. For much of the third quarter, the Raiders still had room to argue. Cousins answered Dugger’s return with a scoring drive of his own, capped by a 21-yarder to Brock Bowers. Las Vegas was back within 11 and soon had the ball again.
The Raiders got that chance because Treydan Stukes intercepted Brock Purdy. The remarkable part of the half was what happened to the possessions the Raiders were in a position to use.
The first strip play came after Brock Purdy threw an interception to Treydan Stukes, who returned it to the San Francisco 31. Las Vegas had the short field it needed, and Cousins immediately found Bowers for five yards. Fred Warner forced Bowers to fumble, however, and Dre Greenlaw recovered at the 49ers' 31.
The turnover did not come from a long drive or a desperate final stand. It erased the Raiders' chance to turn a takeaway into points almost as soon as that chance appeared.
The second fumble required a different kind of defensive answer. Michael Mayer caught a 24-yard pass that carried Las Vegas to the San Francisco 1. Upton Stout forced the ball loose, and Warner fell on it in the end zone.
The touchback gave San Francisco possession. Warner's play stopped a possession that had reached scoring range; Stout's stopped one that had reached the doorstep. Giving Dugger credit for the entire afternoon would miss how differently those two strip plays rescued the 49ers.
San Francisco then made Las Vegas pay for the second escape. On the ensuing 49ers possession, Jordan Watkins scored on a 37-yard pass from Purdy, restoring a 35-17 lead with 36 seconds left in the third quarter. The touchdown was less a decorative flourish than a response: the Raiders had twice reached threatening territory, and San Francisco answered the second failed possession with points.
The 49ers' offense also kept the defense from carrying an impossible load. San Francisco ran 43 times for 190 yards, converted 8 of 13 third downs and held the ball for 38:18. Christian McCaffrey scored on a one-yard run and a 12-yard reception, and Purdy ran for another score from the 1.
San Francisco built their 21-10 halftime advantage through three touchdown possessions before Dugger supplied the instant score after the break.
That balance matters because Las Vegas was not helpless with the ball. Cousins completed 22 of 32 passes for 216 yards, Bowers caught seven passes for 111 yards and the Raiders converted 6 of 9 third downs. Their best offensive sequence came after Dugger's return, when Bowers' touchdown cut the margin to 11.