> By Tony Moss, Sports Network
> Last Updated 11:43 am PDT Thursday, October 5, 2006
> http://dwb.sacbee.com/24hour/sports/football/nfl/story/3388808p-12461013c.html
>
> If misery truly loves company, then Sunday's battle between the Oakland
> Raiders and San Francisco 49ers should be a veritable re-enactment of
> the Summer of Love. Thirty-nine years after flower power permeated the
> Haight-Ashbury section of Fog City, the Bay Area's two NFL franchises
> have become linked not only by their similar geography, but also their
> shared ineptitude.
>
> The homestanding 49ers are the more hopeful of the two franchises as
> Week 5 begins, having shown signs of life during the early stages of
> the season, albeit strides that have not helped Mike Nolan's team avoid
> a 1-3 start. San Francisco scored a 20-13 win over current NFC West
> first-place co-occupant St. Louis back in Week 2, and also competed
> respectably in losses to the Cardinals (34-27) and Eagles (38-24). A
> pair of second-year players, quarterback Alex Smith and running back
> Frank Gore, had helped spark the offense until both played poorly in
> last week's 41-0 loss at Kansas City. The setback to the Chiefs ran the
> Niners' record since 2003 to 7-29 (.194), and also kept the team tied
> for last place in the NFC West along with Arizona.
>
> The Raiders, meanwhile, are the unquestioned laughingstock of the NFL
> at this stage. Oakland has been mostly punchless during an 0-3 start,
> though Art Shell's team nearly saw a break in the clouds in last
> Sunday's home defeat at the hands of the Cleveland Browns. The Silver
> and Black opened up an early 21-3 lead on their then-winless opponent,
> before Cleveland rallied for a 24-21 victory. Oakland, which is alone
> in last place in the AFC West, will be trying on Sunday to avoid its
> first 0-4 start since the 1992 Los Angeles Raiders, also coached by
> Shell, opened with four consecutive defeats. Since appearing in the
> Super Bowl following the 2002 season, Al Davis' franchise is 13-38
> (.255).
>
> SERIES HISTORY
>
> The Raiders lead the all-time series with their Bay Area rival, 6-4,
> but were a 23-20 overtime loser when the teams last met in the regular
> season, at McAfee Coliseum in 2002. Oakland's most recent win in the
> series also came in overtime, a 34-28 triumph at Monster Park in 2000.
> The Niners can lay claim to the most recent home victory in the series,
> a 44-14 rout of the then-Los Angeles Raiders in 1994.
>
> Shell is 1-1 in his career against the 49ers, with the win coming at
> the L.A. Coliseum in 1991. San Francisco's Nolan will be meeting both
> Shell and the Raiders for the first time as a head coach.
>
> RAIDERS OFFENSE VS. 49ERS DEFENSE
>
> Making his second NFL start, and first on the road, will be Oakland
> quarterback Andrew Walter (258 passing yards, 1 TD, 4 INT). Walter, a
> second- year pro out of Arizona State, was pressed into service when
> Aaron Brooks injured a pectoral muscle early in a loss to the Ravens in
> Week 2, but the former third-round draft pick has not played well.
> Walter carries a miserable 38.2 completion percentage with him into
> Week 5, as well as a woeful 29.2 passer rating. The youngster did
> manage to throw the first touchdown pass of his career against the
> Browns last week, connecting with wideout Randy Moss (7 receptions, 1
> TD) on a five-yard strike in the second quarter. It was the only catch
> of the game for Moss, who made headlines earlier this week by
> suggesting to reporters that the team's dismal start does not matter to
> him. Elsewhere in the receiving game, Ronald Curry (6 receptions) led
> Oakland with three catches for 27 yards against Cleveland. The Raider
> offensive line has allowed a bloated 19 sacks through three games,
> including four to the Browns last week.
>
> The 49ers will try to pressure Walter early and often on Sunday, as
> they seek to recover from an effort that saw the Chiefs' Damon Huard go
> unsacked in Week 4. San Francisco tallied 12 sacks through its first
> three games, including two each from outside linebacker Manny Lawson
> and end Bryant Young, and a team- leading 2.5 from safety Chad
> Williams. The Niners also need more out of a secondary that has played
> poorly thus far, ranking as one of just three NFL teams (Detroit,
> Denver) that has yet to notch an interception as Week 5 commences.
> Cornerbacks Shawntae Spencer (25 tackles) and Walt Harris (17 tackles,
> 1 INT) will match up with Moss and Curry, with safeties Tony Parrish
> (10 tackles) and Mike Adams (21 tackles) lending support. Spencer is
> second on the team in tackles.
>
> After failing to run the football throughout losses to the Chargers and
> Ravens, the Raiders finally got a spark from their running game last
> week. LaMont Jordan (183 rushing yards, 1 TD) carried 20 times for 128
> yards and a touchdown in the victory, scoring his first touchdown of
> the year on a 59-yard blast in the second quarter. Backup running back
> Justin Fargas (90 rushing yards) finished with 54 yards in the game,
> including 48 on one run. Fargas is averaging 10 yards per carry on just
> nine totes for the season.
>
> San Francisco did a decent job against Chiefs Pro Bowl running back
> Larry Johnson last Sunday, allowing Johnson to rush for 101 yards and a
> couple of touchdowns on 30 carries but not letting him run wild. Inside
> linebackers Derek Smith (26 tackles) and Jeff Ulbrich (17 tackles) were
> both active against the run, combining for 12 tackles in the defeat,
> while end Marques Douglas (14 tackles, 1 sack) led the team's linemen
> with six solo stops. Elsewhere up front, Young (14 tackles) recorded
> four stops from his end position.
>
> 49ERS OFFENSE VS. RAIDERS DEFENSE
>
> Niners quarterback Alex Smith (906 passing yards, 3 TD, 2 INT) will be
> attempting to shake off his worst outing of the 2006 season, which came
> in last week's dismantling at the hands of the Chiefs. The No. 1 pick
> of the 2005 draft, who had posted a passer rating in the 80s or better
> in his first three games of the year, completed just 13-of-25 passes
> for 92 yards with two interceptions, a fumble lost, and four sacks
> absorbed in the contest. Smith also failed to throw a touchdown pass
> for the first time this season. Wideout Antonio Bryant (14 receptions,
> 1 TD), who recorded 100-yard games in each of the season's first two
> weeks, has just six catches for 65 yards combined in his last two
> contests. Wideout Arnaz Battle (11 receptions) and tight end Eric
> Johnson (11 receptions, 1 TD) tied with a team-high three catches each
> in Kansas City. The 49er line, which has allowed eight sacks through
> four games, could get a boost this week if veteran guard Larry Allen
> (knee) is able to return. Allen is officially listed as doubtful, and
> tight end Vernon Davis (broken fibula) remains out.
>
> Seeking to pressure Smith will be Oakland defensive end Derrick Burgess
> and tackle Warren Sapp, who have combined for the Raiders four sacks on
> the year. Burgess, who led the NFL with 16 sacks in 2005, notched his
> first two of 2006 against Cleveland's Charlie Frye last Sunday. End
> Tyler Brayton, meanwhile, forced a first-quarter Reuben Droughns fumble
> that was returned 30 yards by linebacker Sam Williams for Oakland's
> first touchdown of the season. In the secondary, cornerback Nnamdi
> Asomugha comes off a two-interception performance against the Browns,
> but fellow starting corner Fabian Washington (hamstring) will not be
> available. Either second-year-pro Stanford Routt (7 tackles) or veteran
> Duane Starks (2 tackles) will replace Washington in the lineup.
> Elsewhere in the secondary, safety Stuart Schweigert (26 tackles)
> posted a team-high 11 stops against Cleveland.
>
> If the 49ers wish to record their second win of the season on Sunday,
> running back Frank Gore (331 rushing yards, 3 TD, 16 receptions) is
> going to have to hang onto the football. Gore, who carried 14 times for
> 65 yards against the Chiefs, also lost a fumble for the fourth time in
> four games. As a team, the Niners have lost a league-high seven fumbles
> on the season. Rookie Michael Robinson (41 rushing yard, 2 TD), who
> carried four times for 13 yards, was the only other San Francisco
> running back with a rush in Kansas City.
>
> The Raiders have allowed a 100-yard rusher in two of their first three
> games, allowing both San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson and Cleveland's
> Reuben Droughns to score triple-digits against them. Seeking to avoid a
> continuation of that trend will be the Oakland linebacking corps of
> Kirk Morrison (26 tackles, 1 INT) in the middle and Thomas Howard (22
> tackles) and Sam Williams (6 sacks) on the outside. Morrison is the
> Raiders' co-leader in tackles, and as mentioned, Williams tallied a
> fumble return for a score to open the scoring against the Browns. Tommy
> Kelly (5 tackles) and Terdell Sands (12 tackles) are the team's
> featured defensive tackles in running situations, with Sapp (6 tackles)
> replacing Sands on most passing downs.
>
> OVERALL ANALYSIS
>
> San Francisco has less talent across the board than the Raiders, and
> played much worse than did Oakland last week, but the 49ers have one
> very important thing going for them as they head into this matchup:
> they care. The Niners coaching staff and players are actually
> interested in improving the franchise's fortunes, while the Raiders,
> most notably key people like Moss, have the unmistakable countenance of
> rats exiting a sinking ship. Look for Smith and Gore to have
> bounce-back games, the Niners defense to force a couple more Walter
> turnovers, and for Oakland to continue to be the embarrassment to the
> National Football League that they are.
>
> Sports Network Predicted Outcome: 49ers 24, Raiders 10
>
> ( I'd say 49ers 21, Raiders 13. Frank Gore fumbles, which
> the Raiders turn into points.)