Editor: Joe Bryant. Game Recap Contributors: Mike Anderson, Michael Brown, Chris Burtt, J.D. Caldwell, David Dodds, Bobby Elder, Jim Enochs, Joel Faulhaber, Michael Flynn, Kevin Goldblum, Clayton Gray, Bob Harris, Fred Hebert, Jesse Hilsenrad, Drew Kendall, Jeff Lewis, Joey Matusek, Justin Oliver, Steve Prosapio, David Shick, Cody Smith, Scott Smith, Jeffrey Stout. San Francisco 23 at Oakland 20 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW San Francisco 49ers: The Oakland curse continued for K Jose Cortez, at least until he nailed the game-winning field goal in overtime. Prior to that, he badly shanked a 39-yard attempt and a 27-yard attempt that would have won the game in regulation. QB Jeff Garcia was a fantasy monster today, running for 46 yards and passing for 282 and two touchdowns. Garcia's favorite target was once again Terrell Owens, who worked that short-to-medium range slant pattern to the tune of a season-high 12 catches for 191 yards. WR Tai Streets continued to impress as a starter. Even though his numbers weren't great, he made several tough catches and Garcia clearly has confidence in him. Overall, the 49ers defense played well, allowing less than ten yards per pass reception and only 3.9 per rush. Oakland Raiders: QB Rich Gannon's numbers were not impressive. The Raiders tried to establish the run early and it took three quarters for Gannon and his receivers to get a rhythm. As late as the early 4th quarter, Tim Brown and Jerry Rice had combined for one catch. Rice caught fire late (finishing 6-74) but Brown finished with only one grab for ten yards. Tight coverage by Ahmed Plummer and Mike Rumph contributed to the duo's poor showing. A special teams gaff contributed to the 49ers second score when Ronald Curry, activated this week, fumbled a kickoff that was recovered by the Niners. RB Charlie Garner ran well but carried only 14 times. He compiled 52 rushing yards and a score. He looked very quick and made some hard cuts, so he looks completely recovered from his injury a few weeks ago. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW San Francisco 49ers QB: Jeff Garcia was a fantasy monster today, running for 46 yards and passing for 282 and two touchdowns. Garcia was really the difference in the end, as he picked up big rushing yardage on crucial third-down plays late in the game. He made good decisions all game and looked like the Pro Bowler we've come to know. He looks completely in control and now has confidence in both of his starting wideouts, going to either one in crucial situations. And with San Francisco's power running game hitting on all cylinders, Garcia is in for a second-half explosion. RB: Kevan Barlow is slowly becoming more involved in San Francisco and deservedly so. He finishes every run with a boom and was the key to the 49ers' ability to wear down Oakland's front seven down the stretch, as he laid lick after lick on Raider defenders. Had 60 yards on 15 carries but was ominously missing from the passing game. Something to keep an eye on unless he starts getting 20 carries a game. At that point, his pass catching would be a bonus. Garrison Hearst had more carries and sees more snaps but he is seemingly less productive every week. He's very powerful but lacks the shake-n-bake to get separation in the open field. Finished with 36 yards on 18 carries and caught three balls for 12 yards. WR: Terrell Owens had another great game, though he didn't see the end zone this time. Caught 12 balls for 191 yards and at one point in overtime, appeared to fake the cramps before busting loose on a big catch-and-run. The guy's kooky but he's a fantasy stallion. Tai Streets is gaining the confidence of his quarterback and caught eight balls for 61 yards and a touchdown. Garcia is starting to look for him as often as Owens. Huge fantasy potential in the second half. TE: Justin Swift caught just one ball for seven yards. San Francisco's pass defense: Did an excellent job of sticking to Tim Brown and Jerry Rice, holding the duo to a combined seven catches for 84 yards and no scores. Rookie Mike Rumph is a very physical corner who seems to be getting better each game. He and Plummer may not be the sexy pick for best corner tandem but they are doing the job. Plummer is as close to a shutdown corner as any in the NFL right now. Oakland rarely threw his way. San Francisco's run defense: Oakland really couldn't get anything going against them. The Raiders' longest run, 15 yards, came on their first attempt of the game. After that, the middle stayed clogged and their speedy linebackers kept anything from getting around the corners. San Francisco's special teams: Jose Cortez made three field goals and missed two. The two he missed were both inside 40 yards; the second a relative chip shot that would have won the game as time expired. This guy seems to be literally one blown kick away from being gone, despite his recent string of errorless kicks. Buyer beware. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/** Oakland Raiders QB: Rich Gannon had his worst game this year but it wasn't as a result of a sore arm. No, the Raiders tried to get the ground game going and Gannon couldn't get in a rhythm for three full quarters. When he did, he led the Raiders on a game-tying scoring drive in the late 4th. During that drive, he looked like the scrappy intelligent QB we're used to seeing, often checking down to his 3rd option in a split second. Look for Oakland to get back to a pass-heavy offense next week, as the ground attack was poor. RB: Charlie Garner looked good on two runs and was pretty well manhandled the rest of the game. He finished with 14 carries for 52 yards and a touchdown run but caught only three balls for 16 yards, as the Niners just wouldn't let him get loose. The good news is that he looks completely healthy and is as tough a runner as he is fast. Unfortunately, the Raiders just don't seem to be able to move the ball well on the ground, so look for Garner's per game carries to stay below 20 for the time being. Tyrone Wheatley spotted Garner a couple of times but he's really not a part of the offense anymore. He managed 13 yards on his three touches. WR: Jerry Rice was decent, coming on late to manage six catches for 74 yards. You know he would have loved to go off against his old team but instead was just very solid, not spectacular. Tim Brown had a pitiful day. He simply couldn't get open against Ahmed Plummer and finished with one catch. Jerry Porter is coming on in the same manner as Streets. Gannon is starting to look for him as often as the other two and he had a pretty good game, catching six for 53 yards and a touchdown. Not bad for a slot receiver. He uses his big frame well but still can't seem to get separation, a la Keyshawn Johnson. A guy with his speed should be breaking more long gainers. Keep your eye on him though. Gannon likes him in the red zone. TE: Roland Williams caught one ball for six yards. Mike Lucky was thrown to once in the end zone but he had no chance to catch the overthrown pass. Oakland's pass defense: Allowed a huge game to Terrell Owens and folded up on crucial 3rd down conversions down the stretch. Even though Streets caught 8 balls, he was limited to 61 yards. With Charles Woodson back, things can only get batter but he was picked on a bit today, showing that he is not 100% yet. The Raiders got a scare when he was taken off the field early in the game after it looked like he jammed his recently injured shoulder pretty hard. He returned with extra bandaging soon after, however, so hopefully all is well. Oakland's run defense: The front seven looks old (Bill Romanowski), undersized (Rod Coleman), and out of shape (Sam Adams). The power combo of Barlow and Hearst pounded them into submission. Though the numbers say they played well, the 49ers last two drives spoke volumes. Barlow and Hearst were punishing tired defenders and Garcia was running wherever he wanted. Oakland got a major scare when DE Tony Bryant was carted off the field with an apparent neck injury. As he was hit in the side of the helmet by teammate Eric Barton, Bryant's body went limp. Trainers had to remove his facemask while administering to him. Definitely something to watch as Bryant is one of the few youngsters on the line who has played well this season. Oakland's special teams: A special teams gaff contributed to the 49ers second score when Ronald Curry, activated this week, fumbled a kickoff that was recovered by the Niners. Sebastian Janikowski made all of his kicks, including two field goals and two extra points.