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San Francisco beat Las Vegas 18-12 in the preseason finale, and neither team reached the end zone. Every point in the game came off a kicker's foot: Eddy Pineiro made six field goals for the 49ers, Matt Gay made four for the Raiders, and the offenses combined for zero touchdowns across four quarters. It was the definition of a bubble-and-backups game, which means the useful information is thin, but a couple of names are still worth logging.
Pineiro was the story by default and by distance, connecting from 24, 25, 48, 59, 51, and 54 yards. Three makes from beyond 50, including a 59-yarder, is a genuinely strong audition for a kicker in a camp battle. Matt Gay answered with four of his own for Las Vegas, from 37, 53, 45, and 48 yards. If you are streaming a Week 1 kicker, both legs looked the part here, for whatever a preseason sample is worth.
The Raiders back who keeps showing up in the box score did it again: Mike Washington Jr. led Las Vegas in rushing with eight carries for 49 yards, a 6.1-yard average. He has been the most consistent presence in the Vegas backfield all preseason, and that steady workload is exactly why he matters as a contingency piece behind the top of the depth chart. Dare Ogunbowale handled early-down volume with 10 carries for 37 yards.
Fernando Mendoza Kirk CousinsThe Raiders' quarterback picture stayed crowded and unresolved. Fernando Mendoza had another rough outing, 7 of 14 for 57 yards with an interception and two sacks taken. Veteran Kirk Cousins was steadier in relief at 8 of 11 for 51 yards, and Aidan O'Connell added a 3-of-9 stint. Star tight end Brock Bowers made a brief cameo, catching one pass for 6 yards before giving way to the reserves.
The 49ers did not move the ball much better. Adrian Martinez went 12 of 21 for 130 yards and Mac Jones managed just 1 of 5 for 7 yards, so the offense leaned on Pineiro all night. The one bright spot was Jordan Watkins, who led the team with eight targets, caught four for 64 yards, and chipped in 27 rushing yards on three carries. Khalil Herbert (eight carries, 39 yards) and Jordan James (eight for 35) split the backfield reps without separating.
A game that ends 18 to 12 without a single touchdown looks like noise, but there is still a usable signal underneath it. The first is workload. Mike Washington Jr. has now led the Las Vegas backfield in carries across multiple preseason looks, and consistent volume is the single most predictive thing a depth back can show in August. He is not a player you draft to start, but he is precisely the type of contingency piece who becomes a weekly option the moment an injury opens a lane, which is why he belongs on a bench in deeper formats. Jordan Watkins earning a team-high eight targets for San Francisco is a quieter version of the same idea for the receiver room.
The second signal is what the kicking duel says about the offenses. When both teams stall repeatedly inside scoring range and settle for field goals, it usually means the starters who create explosive plays were watching in street clothes, and the backups could not sustain drives. That is normal for a preseason finale, so do not read a lack of touchdowns as a red flag on the real skill players sitting this one out. Eddy Pineiro drilling three field goals from beyond 50, including a 59-yarder, is a genuine talking point for anyone weighing a Week 1 kicker streamer in a dome or a favorable forecast.
A touchdown-free preseason game gives you almost nothing for redraft, so keep expectations right-sized. The two threads worth carrying forward are Mike Washington Jr.'s continued hold on Raiders backfield reps and Jordan Watkins' target volume for San Francisco. Check the rookie rankings for both, see how the depth charts are priced in the best ball tool, and run the backfields through the mock draft simulator. Full box score: ESPN.
This is part of our Preseason Week 3 roundup, where the storylines that matter across every game are pulled together.
