The Las Vegas Raiders' coaching staff enters their Week 9 game against the San Francisco 49ers looking to build on their win over the New York Jets last Sunday.

Predicting the Raiders' Week 9 Moves

In their Week 8 matchup against the Jets, Las Vegas made several notable changes to their starting lineup that proved fruitful. After struggling to find competent play at the right guard position between Jackson Powers-Johnson and Caleb Rogers, the Raiders turned to rookie Trey Zuhn.

The Jets are not known for being a stout defense, but they are serviceable and gave Las Vegas fits for the entire first half, holding the Raiders to 97 total yards. Still, Zuhn looked like he may be the Raiders' best option at right guard for the rest of the season.

Sunday's matchup against the 49ers will be much more telling, as San Francisco's defense is much more of a challenge than New York's. It will be interesting to see how Zuhn does at guard against one of the toughest teams the Raiders will face this season.

Recent Shakeups May Last Another Week, or More

Given their success last week, even against the Jets, Las Vegas would be wise to stick with those changes for an additional week to get another look at how well they work. If Zuhn plays well against the 49ers, the starting right guard position is his to lose.

Starting Zuhn at right guard wasn't the only change Las Vegas made against the Jets. They also started rookie running back Mike Washington over Ashton Jeanty. The Raiders cannot afford to sit Jeanty for an entire game, as he is far too valuable catching the ball out of the backfield.

Still, the way they successfully used Washington on the ground and Jeanty through the air against the Jets is worth building upon in Week 9 against the 49ers.

Ahead of the team's road matchup against the 49ers, offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko praised Washington's Week 8 outing.

“He’s somebody that continues to improve, really works his craft. He wants to get better at each and every single thing he does, whether it’s fitting his hands up, his eyes, everything coming out. It’s all the little fundamental things that we talk about. It’s stuff that he wants to get better at, improve on, and that’ll allow him to become a more successful player,” Janocko said earlier this week. 

“Running the ball is a full team thing. The greatest thing about football in general is that it’s 11 as one on every single play. So, it takes all 11 for everybody to be successful."

Cornerback Darien Porter returned to practice this week after playing only one play against the New York Jets last Sunday. He is officially listed as questionable heading into Week 9. However, speed is arguably Porter's greatest asset on the field, and he is dealing with a groin injury.

A groin injury can linger. Despite being listed as questionable, Kubiak and defensive coordinator Rob Leonard may decide not to risk damage to Porter's long-term health in a game where they already face an uphill battle.

Las Vegas faced a similar decision earlier this season, when they could have rested running back Ashton Jeanty against a New England Patriots team that was missing more than five players before their matchup ended. The Raiders need Porter beyond just this week.

Resting Porter on Sunday is far from ideal for Sunday's game, but may be best for his career, depending on the severity of his injury and how much progress he made on it during the week. Porter sitting out would offer a valuable opportunity to other corners on the roster.

Porter may very well start against the 49ers. Regardless, rookie cornerback Hezekiah Masses is sure to see significant playing time. Heading into Sunday, Masses could be in for another action-packed day, who has had extreme highs and lows during this season.

“I think it’s always a moving target. See where your team’s at, and who’s playing the best ball at the time. And it’s a 17-game regular season where things change every week. And [there have] been changes at guard," Kubiak said earlier this week.

"[We have] changed up front defensively. Changed at corner, and that’s the NFL. We have a young roster, and we’re going to give guys opportunities and see what fits us best."