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Winners & Losers: Self-Inflicted Wounds Cost Raiders vs. 49ers

Raiders 2026: Insider breakdown—self-inflicted mistakes defined the loss to the 49ers, with expert analysis on winners and losers.
Hondo Carpenter|
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak reacts during the second half against the San Francisco 49ers
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak reacts during the second half against the San Francisco 49ers | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Las Vegas Raiders

SANTA CLARA, CA.—The Las Vegas Raiders fell to 4-5 on the season yesterday in a 38-17 drubbing by the San Francisco 40ers (7-1) at Levi's Stadium.

Once again, the story wasn't that the rebuilding Raiders lost; it was that an overmatched Raiders team competed and ultimately lost because of poor play by veterans.

Winners and Losers

The day after every game, I give you my complete list of winners and losers, not my report card that breaks down every facet of the game, but one from a bird’s-eye view before reviewing all of the film.

No Thanks, Mr. Carpenter

I asked Klint Kubiak why his team couldn't stop the run. I have told you for months that the Raiders are thin on the defensive line and young at defensive back, but is it schematic or personnel? He wanted none of that.

“We all share the blame. There's no finger-pointing, it's thumb-pointing. So, we'll figure it out together.”

Well, in five of the last six weeks, the Raiders have given up 150-plus yards in rushing, so how does he fix it? “It's got to take something different.”

It is the sixth week in a row that the Silver and Black defense has given up 30-plus points, so when do they have to discuss doing something different?

“We'll look at the film and we'll make our decisions when we have cooler heads.”

Superstar DE Maxx Crosby always performs at a high level, and this season is no different. That said, he was asked point-blank whether the issues are schematic or personnel, and while his answer may sound political to the untrained ear, it wasn’t. It was truthful.

Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Kwity Paye
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Kwity Paye | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“There are multiple things. There are a lot of things up front. You have to be tied together at the back end and linebackers do as well. It's communication, it's leveraging the formation, several things that tie into stopping the run. It's not just one player. It has to be all 11, all hands on deck. It's something we're going to have to continue improving on, and I think we will.”

Slow Defensive Starts

The Raiders D made critical adjustments at halftime yesterday, but Crosby talked about why his side of the ball struggles to start big contests.

“Going into every game, it's different. You have to give credit to them. They had some answers to the things we're doing. And we got to make more plays defensively. We have to take the ball away. We can’t wait until late in the game to start taking the ball away. There are a lot of things that go into it, but you have to give them their credit. The Niners play really well.”

He wasn’t done: “They're a really good team. They've been in great adversity often, and have been in multiple Super Bowls, and they know what it looks like. So, you can't give them layups and things like that, or it's going to be really difficult. We believe in each other, I know this locker room does. Some of the turnovers, I know guys had zero intention of having that happen, but it’s how you respond. I'll go to war with these guys every single day of the week. That's what we're going to keep doing.”

A Rookie Bright Spot

CB Hezekiah Masses and S Treydan Stukes are the only rookie defensive back combo in the NFL this year with multiple interceptions, and I asked Kubiak about Stukes’ tremendous play on Sunday.

“Yeah, absolutely. He's been a bright spot throughout the season. Very instinctive playmaker, hard worker. Proud that we have him on our roster.”

Don’t tell Stukes he was a bright spot; he passed the credit on and took the blame. The young man is a burgeoning star, and this was just another example.

“It was good communication all around. I got some pre-snap communication with the other players and that's what helped me be able to be in front of the play and have a chance on that one. We have to find a way to do that more often, get our offense more chances so we can win these games.”

Win the Ones You’re Supposed To

Credit the Raiders; in the midst of this aforementioned rebuild, they are beating the teams they should, and that is a sign of how things have changed. In their five losses, three have been blowouts, albeit against superior teams. Kubiak wasn’t shy about what it takes to get over the top and win one of these.

Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) carries the ball against the San Francisco 49ers
Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) carries the ball against the San Francisco 49ers | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“You got to start the game a lot faster. You got to go toe-to-toe in the first half so that the second half isn't a throwing fest.”

Looking Ahead

The NFL trade deadline is scheduled for Tuesday at 1 PM PT, and the Raiders are under the proverbial microscope. They need to make some tough decisions. Kubiak was asked about them.

Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) on a pass rush as San Francisco 49ers offensive line Colton McKivitz (68)
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) on a pass rush as San Francisco 49ers offensive line Colton McKivitz (68) | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“We're always talking about that with Spy [Las Vegas Raiders GM John Spytek] and looking at everything.”

He was asked whether yesterday's loss could affect what he and GM John Spytek do on Tuesday. “Every day the calculus changes. You get new information about your team, and that goes into the decision-making moving forward.”

QB Kirk Cousins is having an amazing year despite a bad day on Sunday, and his name keeps coming up as a trade target. Especially with the 2026 NFL Draft No. 1 overall pick, and the young man NFL executives ranked the best QB prospect of the last four years, Fernando Mendoza, waiting in the wings.

Cousins was asked about it: “It feels a little bit out of my hands. So, I'll just let decision makers make decisions and react accordingly, but love it here. Love the guys here and feel good about what we have here.”

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) throws a pass during the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) throws a pass during the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Raiders Roster

The reality is that sitting at 4-5 is an overachievement given how the season predictions were aligned, but no one sane thought this was a Super Bowl team. They are still in the hunt, but not for a Super Bowl, and Kubiak addressed his roster.

“At this time of year, we're focused on winning games. I really like our team. I don't like losing games like this. We’ve got to have a lot more resilience when you're playing a really good team like we played today. When you start that slow, you don't put yourself in a good position, but I'm proud to coach the guys that we're coaching.”

Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) and teammates looks across the line of scrimmage
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) and teammates looks across the line of scrimmage | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

No Division

One thing about this season is that these guys, from coaches to players, are on the same page. Crosby said it will stay that way; there won’t be any issues, and these guys are in this together.

“We've got a bunch of hard workers on this team. We've got gritty football players and veterans. We love to play football. We love to come to work and play football. So, we're just going to get back to work and keep practicing. I'm obviously going to focus on the ball security details. We've got a bunch of people on this team who love football and love to win, so that's not going to be a problem for this team.”

Self-Inflicted Wounds

As mentioned, the Raiders lost because of the veterans' self-inflicted wounds. Crosby wasn’t looking for an excuse for how it made him feel.

“I think anytime you lose a game like that, regardless of turnovers or not, there are things to clean up schematically and with ball security. So, I'm sure we've got to clean up a lot of things.”

Cousins addressed those self-inflicted wounds head-on: “I think it's just a little more painful, certainly when you come away and you feel like maybe you could have been in that game had you played to the standard you expect of yourself or of your group, and I think that's the hard part.”

TE Michael Mayer has really matured as a player and a leader, and he was guilty of some of those self-inflicted wounds, and the young man didn’t dodge it, or even try.

“We have to score, that's our livelihood right there. We have to get in the dang end zone, and I have to protect the football. That football is my entire life. So, for me to fumble like that, that close to the end zone, is totally unacceptable. I have to go back to work and work on it.”

Preach

Crosby laid it out plain: this team is close, better, and must keep fighting.

“We just have to play better complementary football. It feels like when we have good stretches of defense, we struggle on the other end. And when we're struggling, the offense is playing well. We have to play better as a unit. There are a lot of things that we need to improve on. We have to take care of the ball. We have to take the ball away. It's not like our intentions are 100% right. We're working on everything.”

He sees the seeds planted and germinating. “We're working together, and it just hasn't gone our way, and it hasn't been our best. We have to continue executing at a higher level if we want to truly be in playoff contention. We're right in it."

"We're in the thick of it. It's a really good team, and you can't give the ball away. You can't start the game defensively like that and expect to win. We have a lot of things to improve on, but I know this team's going to stay close-knit and looking forward to getting a lot better this week and getting ready for Seattle.”

Cousins echoed his thoughts on the complementary football that makes elite teams truly elite.

“I think it was hard today with just not playing complementary football. I thought our defense did a great job in the second half of really limiting them, and I felt like if we, as an offense, had done our part, we're right there at the end in that game."

"I think that's the hard part, not feeling like we're all playing our best ball at the same time to then kind of give us that chance in a game like today, but that's something to look to in the future, is just all of us playing our best ball together to then be able to come out with a win.”

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (89) fumbles while being tackled by San Francisco 49ers
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (89) fumbles while being tackled by San Francisco 49ers | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Mayer went into even more detail, not only about the team, but about the way this locker room is structured.

“We've got a bunch of hard workers on this team. We've got gritty football players and veterans. We love to play football. We love to come to work and play football. So, we're just going to get back to work and keep practicing. I'm obviously going to focus on the ball security details. We've got a bunch of people on this team who love football and love to win, so that's not going to be a problem for this team.”

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Hondo Carpenter
HONDO CARPENTER

Hondo S. Carpenter Sr. is an award-winning sports journalist with decades of experience. He serves as the Senior Writer for NFL and College sports, and is the beat writer covering the Las Vegas Raiders. Additionally, he is the editor and publisher for several sites On SI. Carpenter is a member of the Pro Football Writers Association (PFWA), the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), and the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA).

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