Eddy Pineiro turned a tied preseason finale into a clean finish. He made all six of his field-goal attempts, including kicks from 51, 59 and 54 yards, and the San Francisco 49ers beat the Las Vegas Raiders 18-12 on August 27, 2026.
That is why Pineiro is being searched now. In the final game before the preseason ended, the kicker did not miss once, and his longest make traveled 59 yards. The performance came as San Francisco closed out the summer with a result built almost entirely on his right leg.
Mac Jones opened the night by quarterbacking the 49ers for the first two drives, but the game soon settled into the kind of tight, low-scoring finish that gives a kicker room to decide it. Ephesians Prysock left with a shoulder injury on one drive, and Tatum Bethune intercepted Fernandzo Mendoza, but neither side created much separation. With two minutes left, the score was 12-12.
Then Pineiro took control. He nailed a 51-yard field goal to push the Niners ahead 15-12, buried a 59-yarder to add more breathing room, and with under 10 seconds left he tacked on a 54-yard kick. Three field goals in the final stretch turned a deadlocked game into an 18-12 win, and his final line — 6-for-6 — was as clean as it gets.
The larger question is not whether Pineiro handled the moment. He did. It is whether a perfect night at the end of the preseason changes how San Francisco views him when the games start counting for real. A kickoff from 59 yards does not guarantee anything, but it gives the 49ers a simple answer on one night and a harder decision next: whether this was a strong finish or the start of regular-season form.
