Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
The San Francisco 49ers are treating their New Year’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders as a playoff game. Even though the Niners have finished the split since Week 15 and clinched a playoff berth, now is not the time to ease off.
San Francisco is currently a 9.5 point favorite. This week, that number jumped to 10 points after the announcement that the Raiders were benching quarterback Derek Carr in favor of Jarrett Stidham.
The 49ers also shouldn’t walk in a hostile environment. More than 60% of the Allegiant Stadium crowd is expected to be Niner fans, based on third-party ticket sales. However, no one inside the 49ers building is taking the Raiders lightly. There’s still plenty of talent on the Las Vegas roster, and any stumbling before the playoffs could be costly.
What is the biggest challenge for the 49ers and their continued success over time?
“Just play Forty-Niner footballcontinuing to play complementary football”, tackle Trent Williams told reporters on Thursday. “I think that’s the biggest challenge every week because it’s more about you than the team you play with. I think when you can avoid self-inflicted injuries, I think that allows you to play very good football, and I think that’s what we have to do.”
The Raiders may be 6-9 and limp to the finish line, but that doesn’t guarantee anything.
“If we don’t play complementary football and reduce self-inflicted injuries, we can lose to anyone,” Williams noted.
San Francisco wants to get things done. They remain within striking distance of the No. 2 seed, currently held by the Minnesota Vikings. As NFC West champions, the third-seeded 49ers are guaranteed to open the playoffs at Levi’s Stadium. However, the No. 2 seeds would guarantee two home games. That’s significant for a team that had to play three road playoff games last season.
It’s one of the things we can [work toward] At this point in the season,” Williams explained. “And it also keeps us on the straight and narrow, knowing how important those last two games are, because obviously any game we can have ahead of The Faithful, I feel we have a big advantage.
We certainly pay attention to that, and that’s why we’re approaching these last two games like it’s the playoffs, because I think having home-court advantage, or at least the home-court for two games, would be a big help for us.
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