
The San Francisco 49ers looked solid coming out of their bye week, rolling past the Las Vegas Raiders, 38-17, on Sunday. While the offense had no issue putting up points, it was the Niners’ defense that showed out, finally figuring out how to rack up plenty of takeaways.
San Francisco entered Week 9 with a minus-3 turnover ratio, which was tied for 24th in the league and certainly is not where a one-loss team should be at this point in the season.
The defense nearly flipped the script on Sunday, intercepting Kirk Cousins three times and recovering two of its three forced fumbles, which, added to Brock Purdy's interception in the third quarter, puts the team into the positives at a plus-1 and erases its minus-four effort two weeks ago against the Atlanta Falcons.
The Fox broadcast pointed out Fred Warner's battle scars from using the "Peanut Punch" this season, a move made famous by former Chicago Bears cornerback Charles Tillman.
so many Fred punchouts
— NFL (@NFL) November 8, 2026
LVvsSF on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/BgvoVcTiFQ
Tillman recorded 44 forced fumbles, many of which were thanks to his signature move, and Warner is adding to its legacy by collecting his fifth punchout of the season on this play, which followed Purdy's interception and killed any momentum the Raiders were getting.
FUMBLE ‼️ 49ers get the ball back
— NFL (@NFL) November 8, 2026
LVvsSF on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/ewKavc7AdQ
Of the 49ers' five turnovers, three stopped potential Raiders scoring drives and prevented any momentum swings on Sunday. The "Peanut Punch" came into play again, but it was Upton Stout who knocked the ball out of Michael Mayer's grasp at the goal line, which was fittingly recovered by Warner.
The Raiders are...STOPPED@49ers defense force the goal-line fumble for a touchback
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) November 8, 2026
: FOX/FOX One pic.twitter.com/aaI0wj2S17
The defense would come up big once more, defending its end zone from multiple scoring attempts after Renardo Green snagged this pass from Cousins, literally putting his body on the line as he would leave the game with a back injury.
INTERCEPTED IN THE END ZONE ‼️ Renardo Green prevents the TD!
— NFL (@NFL) November 8, 2026
LVvsSF on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/BR4pEQmRgt
It's a wild concept, but when a team collects five turnovers, they usually win, especially when one of them is a pick-six. Having an offensive output that is virtually unstoppable is helpful too.
These are the kinds of wins San Francisco needs to capitalize on to boost confidence and stat lines while continuing on its march for a Super Bowl title.
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