Raiders Set for Bay Area Return Against 49ers

The Raiders are returning to the Bay Area for their first regular-season game there since moving from Oakland to Las Vegas after the 2019 season, meeting the 49ers in a rivalry that still resonates with fans and players. Maxx Crosby, Kolton Miller and AJ Cole are the only current Raiders who played in Oakland, and they expect the trip to carry special meaning for the team’s remaining ties to its former home. The matchup is consequential for Las Vegas, which is 4-4 and trying to stay in the playoff picture, while San Francisco enters 6-1 and among the NFC’s top teams. The 49ers’ defense has been especially tough against the run, posing a major test for a Raiders offense that needs to improve its ground game. San Francisco reportedly pushed to keep the game in Santa Clara rather than move it to Mexico City, preserving the Bay Area setting for a contest steeped in decades of shared history.