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Preseason Preview: Raiders' preseason finale against 49ers 

The Las Vegas Raiders close out the preseason slate with a matchup against the San Francisco 49ers.

The two teams have a lot of preseason history as former cross-Bay rivals, with their first preseason matchup dating back to Sept. 3, 1967 – a contest that resulted in 13-10 victory for the 49ers.

Friday's game is set to kick off at 7 p.m. PT from Allegiant Stadium. Here's what you need to know.

Opponent profile

The defending NFC Champion 49ers are 1-1 on the preseason after a 16-10 win last Sunday against the Saints. 49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan noted that the team's starters will likely play in the upcoming contest against the Raiders. San Francisco's starters also played last week in a limited capacity, including quarterback Brock Purdy, who went 2-of-6 in the first quarter.

"We'll see how today and tomorrow go, but that's the plan," he said on Tuesday.

The team has also been dealing with a variety of injuries to both starters and depth pieces including RB Christian McCaffrey (calf), P Mitch Wishnowsky (back), first-round draft pick WR Ricky Pearsall (shoulder) and fourth-round pick RB Isaac Guerendo.

QB decision made

The biggest news of the week has been the announcement of Gardner Minshew II as the Raiders' starting quarterback going into the season. Head Coach Antonio Pierce and General Manager Tom Telesco came to the decision following last week's game against the Dallas Cowboys, having evaluated Minshew and Aidan O'Connell's full body of work from OTAs all the way up through training camp and the preseason games.

"The way they've handled this competition has really resonated throughout our building, especially our staff and our team," Pierce said of the quarterback room. "They've cheered each other on, they've been good teammates. They brought out the best version of each other in practices and I think in the games. They both took it on the chin like a champ. And I told them, just both be ready. It's the National Football League, you never know.

"But Aidan [O'Connell] is a young player that has a tremendous upside that I think will still be a starter some point here in this league, if it's this year or next year. But he will play in games, and I think Gardner's [Minshew] done a good job of being that older presence you know, because he's played a couple years in league and he's been through some adversities, so that's been good for Aidan."

Alumni in the house

Raiders from every decade will be in Allegiant Stadium on Friday as part of the team's annual Alumni Weekend. Over 200 Alumni and their guests will be seated in the Wynn Field Club to take in the game. At least one player is represented from teams for 59 straight seasons, 1963-2021.

Notably, three members of 1967 Raiders AFL Championship/Super Bowl II team will be in attendance: Estes Banks, Ken Herock and Gus Otto, as well as Super Bowl XV MVP Jim Plunkett and Super Bowl XVIII MVP Marcus Allen.

How to watch and listen

The game will be broadcast locally on FOX5 Las Vegas (KVVU) with Jason Horowitz providing the play-by-play action alongside Raiders preseason color commentators Matt Millen and Rich Gannon. Nationally, NFL Network will air the same Raiders broadcast.

Fans can also stream the TV broadcast on Raiders.com at this link and in the Raiders app (geo restrictions apply).

On the airwaves, Radio Nation Radio 920 AM will feature radio personality JT the Brick alongside analysts Lincoln Kennedy and Eric Allen, providing a comprehensive breakdown of the game.

For the Spanish call, Harry Ruiz's energetic play-by-play takes the lead on Deportes Vegas 1460 AM, accompanied by analyst Mayra Gomez.

Head inside Allegiant Stadium for the Raiders' second open 2024 Training Camp practice.

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