The San Francisco 49ers are in Las Vegas this week in preparation for Thursday night’s preseason contest against the Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. Traders who use NFL prediction markets to forecast outcomes have designated the Raiders as a favorite to win each team’s final preseason contest for good reason.
Simply put, the 49ers will be in no mood Thursday night to risk tiring out their star players ahead of a much-loathed international trip to Melbourne, Australia, for what promises to be a highly competitive regular season opener against the Los Angeles Rams. Las Vegas fans who have longed for the moment their team is favored against a legitimate playoff contender can scratch that reality off their “bucket list” ahead of Thursday’s preseason finale.
Arguably, the San Francisco 49ers would rather not play this game at all. The only reason for the team’s staff to be “hyped” about their upcoming game in Las Vegas is the opportunity to test depth charts in preparation for the inevitable player cuts that will occur between now and August 30th.
Quarterback Brock Purdy is OUT for the 49ers. The same is true for defensive end Nick Bosa. Running back Christian McCaffrey will likewise sit the entire preseason game out. The Raiders aren’t expected to start their key players, either. However, the sheer weight the 49ers have on their shoulders, having to board a 17-hour flight to play a Week 1 game against a division rival at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Yarra Park, is enough to make any professional athlete a bit queasy.
The players who are virtually guaranteed a roster spot on the San Francisco squad will be focusing their attention on that looming matchup this Thursday instead of the actual preseason game that’s being played at Allegiant Stadium. The Raiders should win soundly despite the fact that they’d be given little to no chance by forecasters to beat the 49ers in a regular season contest.
San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan has informed the press that his team will fly to Australia on Wednesday, September 2nd. That will give the 49ers a full week to acclimate to the climate, jetlag, and whatever else the “Land Down Under” throws at them. To be fair, the Rams are stuck with the same fate of international travel to begin the regular season, but they won’t be departing from Los Angeles until September 8th (less than 48 hours before kickoff).
In other news, there’s a kicker battle going on in Las Vegas between former Utah Utes standout Matt Gay and rookie Kansei Matsuzawa. Fans can expect these two special teams members to rotate duties for the Raiders this Thursday night.
If anything, the Kalshi “winner” market for this preseason matchup will move in favor of the hapless Raiders. San Francisco team members and staff will have one foot in the locker room well before the fourth quarter ends as they take the two-hour flight back to the Bay Area and prepare for the long trip to Australia.
With the exception of traders who are fascinated by kicker controversies, Thursday night’s preseason game should be forgettable by NFL standards. The real action doesn’t begin until the 2026-27 regular season begins in September.
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