49ers ride takeaways, effective ground game to win over Raiders and 7-1 record

Niners quarterback Brock Purdy gestures to the fans after running for a touchdown in the first half of Sunday's game against the Raiders at Levi's Stadium. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/S.F. Chronicle) On a day in which the San Francisco 49ers' new-look defensive line largely struggled to generate pressure, it was the back end of the defense that created action.The 49ers, who beat the Las Vegas Raiders 38-17 on Sunday at Levi's Stadium, entered the day with seven takeaways in seven games. On Sunday, they had five - all in the second half - during a stretch of complete domination for that unit. A Las Vegas offense led by quarterback Kirk Cousins, despite having plenty of opportunities to cut its deficit to one possession while the 49ers' offense struggled out of the half, repeatedly gave the ball away.The results of the Raiders' opening five drives after halftime: pick-six, touchdown, fumble, fumble, interception.San Francisco owes much of that to its trio of starting linebackers. Rookie Jaden Dugger took the first play of the second half to the house. Two drives later, Fred Warner punched the ball out at the 26-yard line (his fifth forced fumble of the season) and Dre Greenlaw recovered at the 31. On the ensuing possession, defensive back Upton Stout did his best Warner impression, punching the ball free from Raiders tight end Michael Mayer's grasp as he extended into the end zone; Warner recovered, keeping Las Vegas from cutting its deficit to four. On the next drive, San Francisco's defense looked to be in trouble again. A 33-yard completion to tight end Brock Bowers brought the Raiders to the 1-yard line. Cousins attempted a quarterback sneak, and Warner dove over the pile to knock him back two yards. Two plays later, cornerback Renardo Green leaped to intercept a ball intended for Tre Tucker in the right corner of the end zone. Safety Malik Mustapha added an interception for good measure in garbage time.Not a bad stretch for defensive coordinator Raheem Morris' unit.49ers 38, Raiders 17Las Vegas01070-17San Francisco147143-38First QuarterSF: McCaffrey 1 run (Pineiro kick), 9:32.SF: Purdy 1 run (Pineiro kick), 1:52.Second QuarterLas: Cousins 2 run (Gay kick), 12:41.SF: McCaffrey 12 pass from Purdy (Pineiro kick), 5:14.Las: FG Gay 50, 1:12.Third QuarterSF: Dugger 35 interception return (Pineiro kick), 14:43.Las: Bowers 21 pass from Cousins (Gay kick), 9:29.SF: Watkins 37 pass from Purdy (Pineiro kick), :36.Fourth QuarterSF: FG Pineiro 35, 5:21.A: 71,753.___LasSFFirst downs1427Total Net Yards240414Rushes-yards15-2443-190Passing216224Punt Returns0-00-0Kickoff Returns7-2223-62Interceptions Ret.1-263-35Comp-Att-Int22-32-317-25-1Sacked-Yards Lost0-01-8Punts1-45.00-0.0Fumbles-Lost3-20-0Penalties-Yards5-297-59Time of Possession21:4238:18___INDIVIDUAL STATISTICSRUSHING: Las Vegas, Jeanty 6-25, Bowers 1-2, Cousins 2-0, Washington 6-(minus 3). San Francisco, Black 11-70, McCaffrey 18-68, Purdy 7-40, James 3-11, Juszczyk 1-4, Jones 3-(minus 3).PASSING: Las Vegas, Cousins 22-32-3-216. San Francisco, Purdy 17-25-1-232.RECEIVING: Las Vegas, Bowers 7-111, Jeanty 5-(minus 5), Tucker 4-55, Mayer 3-37, Nailor 2-9, Bech 1-9. San Francisco, Watkins 4-86, Kittle 4-58, Robinson 3-22, Cooks 2-25, McCaffrey 2-19, Hodge 1-17, Cowing 1-5.MISSED FIELD GOALS: None.Run, run the ball: The Raiders entered Sunday allowing a league-worst 5.1 yards per rushing attempt. They gave up 365 yards on the ground in their previous two games entering Sunday. Niners coach Kyle Shanahan was well aware of this fact, telling the Fox broadcast pregame he was aiming to have a 40-carry game. San Francisco ended the afternoon with a season-high of 43 runs, with the caveat that a number of those came on the game's final drive with the result sealed.The 49ers managed 25 rushes in the first half alone, gaining 125 yards on the ground for two touchdowns. Quarterback Brock Purdy threw the ball only 12 times before the break, averaging 10.3 yards per attempt for 123 yards. In the second half, the 49ers strayed a bit from that strategy. Twelve rushes to 13 passes to start the period was a far cry from the first-half ratio, but San Francisco still managed to gain 4.4 yards per rush and 190 yards on the ground.Purdy alone racked up a season-high 40 rushing yards on seven attempts and scored a touchdown. Christian McCaffrey ran 18 times for 68 yards and a score, and rookie backup Kaelon Black toted the ball 11 times for 70 yards.SubscribeThere’s more to San Francisco with the Chronicle. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at 49ers ride takeaways, effective ground game to win over Raiders and 7-1 record.