How did Jarrett Stidham play today? Raiders backup exposes vaunted 49ers defense in standout showing despite loss

David Suggs

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How did Jarrett Stidham play today? Raiders backup exposes vaunted 49ers defense in standout showing despite loss image

The Raiders had little more than pride at stake when head coach Josh McDaniels named Jarrett Stidham the starting quarterback for the last two weeks of the season.

A clash with the 49ers — and their vaunted defense — loomed in Week 17. It was hard to envision Vegas, led by a career backup, getting much of anything against its rivals, even in the friendly confines of Allegiant Stadium.

Someone forgot to fill Stidham in, though. Because the third year veteran showed poise, moxie and, perhaps most importantly, talent, in his first career start. The end result was a 37-34 loss, but getting the "L" isn't how Stidham will be judged. 

"I thought he executed a lot things the right way today," Josh McDaniels said postgame. "He gave our guys a chance to make some plays down the field.

Stidham racked up 300 yards against San Francisco, becoming the first player to hit the triple century mark vs. the Niners since Patrick Mahomes did it back in Week 7. That's some pretty elite company to be a part of.

Stidham was a problem in the air and on the ground. And he lit things up against one of the league's truly elite defenses, so much so that he even spawned a growing meme presence on social media.

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I mean, you can't blame them, huh? It's not every day you see a backup rise from anonymity to the national conscious in the matter of a few quarters.

How did Jarrett Stidham play today?

Stidham was, in a word, electric, for much of Sunday afternoon. The Auburn alum poured in nearly 400 yards of total offense against San Fran. In fact, Stidham's 365 passing yards on Sunday was the high water mark from Raiders QBs this year, outpacing former starter Derek Carr's Week 10 display vs, the Broncos.

"I didn't feel like I had any nerves as all this week," Stidham said. "Perspective has changed a lot over the years and it's not worth stressing over and getting all uptight. I just wanted to go out there and play free today and try to facilitate the offense and the way to win."

Much of Stidham's success stemmed from his connection with All-Pro caliber wideout Davante Adams. Tae was a constant thorn in the Niners' secondary, reeling in seven balls for 163 yards and two touchdowns on the day.

It was a world away from the struggles Adams has experienced over the past few games. He had failed to hit the century mark in any of his three previous weeks and looked unlikely to do so with Carr under center.

"We worked hard this week in practice to try and get some timing between the two of us," Stidham said. "He's an amazing player, clearly. I just tried to put the ball somewhere where he can get it and touch it. That's my job as the quarterback: facilitate the offense and get those guys the ball."

Stidham gave Adams a new lease on life. The receiver made sure to return the favor, making inch-perfect route after inch-perfect route to frustrate San Fran's secondary.

The duo linked up for two touchdowns, the first coming on a four-yard pitch and catch in the red zone, the second on a lofted 60-yard bomb from Stidham.

No Stidham throw was bigger, though, than his pearl of a pass to Adams with less than two minutes left in the game. With the clock winding down, Stidham delivered a deft pass to his star wide receiver. Adams did the rest, stretching far to catch and maintain possession of the football.

That dime fueled the Raiders' late rally, with Josh Jacobs tiptoeing into the end zone to knot the game at 34.

For all of Stidham's efforts, he wasn't quite able to finish the job. And he had his low moments throughout, including an overtime interception that effectively ended the Raiders' chances at a momentous victory over their longtime rivals.

Still, it was more good than bad for Stidham on Sunday. And his impressive display put the Silver-and-Black on the brink of a mammoth upset.

"He had a solid performance, I think, for his first start," McDaniels said postgame. "...I thought leading our team, his energy, his communication, I thought we had good rhythm, and obviously you can tell guys really played well for him, played hard for him."

David Suggs

David Suggs Photo

David Suggs is a content producer at The Sporting News. A long-suffering Everton, Wizards and Commanders fan, he has learned to get used to losing over the years. In his free time, he enjoys skateboarding (poorly), listening to the likes of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and D’Angelo, and penning short journal entries.