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Five key players to watch as 49ers return from bye to face Raiders in Week 9
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- Five key players to watch as 49ers return from bye to face Raiders in Week 9
Five key players to watch as 49ers return from bye to face Raiders in Week 9 originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SANTA CLARA — The Raiders will make their first trip to the Bay Area since leaving Oakland for Las Vegas in 2020.
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"This week, they're the Oakland Raiders," 49ers linebacker Fred Warner said of the once-heated regional rivalry.
The organizations meet on Sunday at Levi's Stadium for the first time since 2018.
The 49ers (6-1) hold a sizable lead in the NFC West standings over the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams, both 4-4 entering Week 9.
The Raiders (4-4) snapped a four-game losing streak under first-year coach Klint Kubiak last week with a 38-33 victory over the New York Jets.
Here are five players who watch as the 49ers look to get back to their winning ways upon returning from their bye week:
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RT Colton McKivitz
It won't get much tougher for right tackle Colton McKivitz than going up against Maxx Crosby, one of the NFL's top edge rushers.
McKivitz is having an outstanding season. His overall grade ranks seventh among all offensive tackles (left and right) this season, according to PFF. His teammate, Trent Williams, is No. 2.
McKivitz did not surrender a sack through the first seven games. He has yielded just one hit on the quarterback. And McKivitz ranks even better as a run blocker.
This is the kind of game, going up against this kind of opponent, that could lead to McKivitz earning the kind of recognition he deserves.
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WR Demarcus Robinson
The 49ers expect veteran wide receiver Demarcus Robinson to return to action this week after being out since sustaining a high ankle sprain in Week 2.
Robinson is good at beating man coverage with his ability to run intermediate and deep routes. That's more important than ever with the 49ers being so shorthanded at wideout, with injuries to Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel and De'Zhaun Stribling..
Robinson got off to a good start with five catches for 84 yards and a touchdown before he was placed on injured reserve.
S Ji'Ayir Brown
When the 49ers faced the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3, they had eight different players in coverage on passes intended for tight end Trey McBride.
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The 49ers certainly will mix up their coverages a great deal on Sunday against Raiders star tight end Brock Bowers, who is Kirk Cousins' favorite target.
Bowers has 41 catches for 547 yards and five touchdowns this season. Brown should have some opportunities to make plays on the football as he looks to lock down a starting job for the remainder of the season.
Brown is the 49ers' third-leading tackler with 41 stops. He has broken up a couple of passes but has yet to generate a takeaway this season.
QB Brock Purdy
The 49ers are coming off a game in which they committed four turnovers in a loss to the Atlanta Falcons. And quarterback Brock Purdy is looking to bounce back coming out of the bye week.
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Purdy threw two interceptions in the 29-20 loss to the Falcons . Again, Purdy will not have his full complement of wide receivers on Sunday against the Raiders, but he will have to find a way to make it work.
Purdy enters the game with 99 career touchdown passes. This will be his 57th career game. With one touchdown pass, he will become the fastest to reach 100 touchdown passes in franchise history. Frankie Albert currently tops the 49ers' list, with his 100th touchdown pass coming in his 65th career game.
DL DeForest Buckner
The 49ers struck two weeks before the NFL trading deadline by acquiring defensive lineman DeForest Buckner from the Indianapolis Colts for a fourth-round draft pick.
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San Francisco traded away Buckner in 2020. And now, they have brought him back at a time when the 49ers wanted to add a big piece to their defensive puzzle for the final 10 games of the season.
Buckner, 32, led the Colts with four sacks in seven games. He immediately should fit into the 49ers' system, as defensive coordinator Raheem Morris has deployed more five-down fronts.
Buckner is expected to be a difference-maker and someone who makes everyone around him a little better.
