Week 2 of the preseason felt a little more like a regular-season game for the San Francisco 49ers when they visited the Las Vegas Raiders, namely because head coach Kyle Shanahan opted to play several of his starters to open up the contest.
it wasn't necessarily a choice, though, as the Niners are dealing with a slew of injuries well before Week 1 arrives, essentially forcing Shanahan's hand.
And that might have come back to haunt Shanahan and Co.
Right guard Dominick Puni, as well as running backs Patrick Taylor Jr. and rookie Corey Kiner, suffered first-half injuries, and Kiner needed to be carted off after suffering an ankle injury.
The final score of 22-19 in favor of the Niners matters little, although there are plenty of takeaways from the exhibition showdown at Allegiant Stadium.
There are winners and losers, too.
49ers winners and losers from preseason Week 2 vs. Raiders
Winner: RB Jeff Wilson Jr.
Signed earlier this week as a replacement for also-injured tailback Ameer Abdullah (ribs), who's out for the season now, Jeff Wilson Jr. reunited under Shanahan but likely would have been little more than a depth piece on the preseason 90-man roster.
Wilson, who thrived with San Francisco in 2020 amid another injury-plagued year, left for the Miami Dolphins in 2022 and saw a dramatic decline in use.
Depending on Kiner's long-term prognosis, Wilson might be a key beneficiary after rumbling for a touchdown against Las Vegas.
Loser: K Jake Moody
After "winning" the kicker battle in training camp over Greg Joseph, Jake Moody is still nevertheless on the hot seat, and missing from 53 yards out late in the second quarter won't help his cause for staying on the roster.
The 2023 third-round draftee out of Michigan was disastrous down the stretch a year ago, and the fanbase is probably fed up with him fully.
Just ask this guy:
This 49ers fan was letting Jake Moody hear it after the missed FG 💀 pic.twitter.com/6N54zu31jN
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) August 16, 2025
At least a 59-yard game-winning field goal gives Moody some validation, but the consistency is the major issue.
Winner: LB Nick Martin
After an awfully rough NFL debut in preseason Week 1 against the Denver Broncos, rookie linebacker Nick Martin enjoyed quite the bounce-back effort out in the desert.
Martin finished with a team-high six tackles, two of which were for a loss, plus a sack. But, what's far more important is the fact the third-round draftee wasn't over-pursuing and/or missing tackles, suggesting he is now slowing down and letting the game come to him.
The rookie played little during his final season at Oklahoma State in 2024, so it's fair to claim he's getting his football legs back underneath him.
Loser: DT Alfred Collins
For much of camp, fans read about how second-round rookie defensive tackle Alfred Collins was struggling to get his pad level lower, leading many to conclude the 49ers whiffed on a high pick yet again.
After a lackluster preseason debut a week ago, Collins received some in-game criticism from KPIX 5 color analyst Tim Ryan, who highlighted how the defensive tackle regularly couldn't generate leverage with his pads, leading to him being pushed around easily on a play-to-play basis.
It's still early, but Collins isn't looking like starting-caliber material.
Winner: 49ers' B-list WRs
It might not be fair to label 2024 first-rounder Ricky Pearsall as a B-list wide receiver, although the original anticipation was he'd be WR3 behind incumbents Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings.
Aiyuk remains on the mend, though, after last year's ACL and MCL tears, while Jennings is dealing with a calf injury, leading to Pearsall having a regular connection with quarterback Brock Purdy, which amounted to one drive with 42 yards on three catches before being removed from action.
Not to be outdone, fellow wideout Demarcus Robinson notched 44 yards on three first-half grabs. And while he's anticipating a three-game suspension because of a 2024 DUI, at least Robinson is showing some prowess down the depth chart.
He might not make the regular-season cut, but veteran Robbie Chosen's team-high 92 yards look good.
Loser: DB Ji'Ayir Brown
It's not fully his fault, but third-year safety Ji'Ayir Brown isn't exactly penciling himself as the Niners' long-term starter.
Granted, getting outworked by All-Pro tight end Brock Bowers early in the game wasn't a good look, but the fact rookie safety Marques Sigle had more impact plays at that point in the game, including an open-field tackle Brown likely wouldn't have made, all signs are pointing to the latter being bumped back down the depth chart.
Especially when ACL-injured Malik Mustapha returns later this season.
Winner: CB Chase Lucas
San Francisco quietly has a juicy competition going on at cornerback behind Deommodore Lenoir and Renardo Green, while rookie Upton Stout is slated to be the starting nickel back.
However, it's going to be awfully difficult to keep veteran defensive back Chase Lucas off the 53-man roster after his preseason efforts, upon which he doubled down against the Raiders and made a defensive highlight with a second-half interception:
Chase Lucas gets the ball back for the @49ers 🙌
Watch on @NFLNetwork
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/Q0ROfDJk3i
— NFL (@NFL) August 16, 2025
Then, a key sack on a blitz late in the fourth quarter helped set the stage for San Francisco's game-winner.
Upton, also dealing with a minor injury, might have to give way to Lucas at least to open up the regular season, but all signs are suggesting the 49ers won't lose much there with the way the latter has been playing.
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