After narrowly losing to the Los Angeles Rams Week 5, the Seattle Seahawks will once again look to claw their way back to .500 when they take on the Oakland Raiders in London on Sunday.
The Raiders are a team desperately searching to recapture some magic and reignite the spark this season. In 2016, the Raiders shocked the NFL by winning 12 games and earning a trip the postseason for the first time since 2002. Unfortunately for the Raiders, Derek Carr broke his leg Week 16 that year and it has been downhill for Oakland ever since.
A promising 2016 was followed up by a disappointing 2017 with Oakland finishing 6-10 last season. The Raiders tried to make a splash this past offseason by hiring former Monday Night Football analyst – and former Raiders and Buccaneers head coach – Jon Gruden to once again lead the team.
Gruden signed a historic 10-year deal worth roughly $100 million, but so far, the Raiders are just 1-4 on the year.
Gruden kicked off his return with a questionable move by trading away superstar linebacker Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears. Mack was easily Oakland’s best defender, and the decision has proven to be quite costly as the Raiders rank dead last in the NFL with only six sacks.
The inability to consistently pressure opposing quarterbacks has led to a weakened Raiders secondary that is repeatedly exposed and could be the difference on Sunday as the much-improved Seahawks offensive line currently ranks No. 7 in the NFL in pass blocking efficiency.
Prediction: Seahawks over Raiders 27-24
Both the Seahawks and Raiders are desperate teams looking to breathe new life into distant, yet attainable, playoff aspirations. Oakland is not all dissimilar from the Seahawks, also having lost to the Rams at home and to the Broncos in Denver.
The Raiders, like the Seahawks, are arguably better than their record indicates. Yes, their defense has been mostly unimpressive, but they have remained competitive in their losses and were a handful of plays from securing a victory.
Seattle’s defense has been more vulnerable this year than they’ve been in a while but is still one of the best at taking the ball away. The Seahawks are No. 2 in the NFL with nine interceptions, and now they face a quarterback who has thrown eight through five games.
Conversely, the Seahawks haven’t turned the ball over since Week 2.
Oakland will put up a solid fight, but look for a critical turnover late to be the difference in the game.
