The Seattle Seahawks are 2-3 after narrowly losing to the Los Angeles Rams, with a renewed sense of optimism after three weeks of playing well.
The Raiders, meanwhile, were expected to be rejuvenated under the rehired Jon Gruden, but instead are in a tailspin. We spoke again with Marcus Mosher of Raiders Wire to see where Oakland stands heading into the matchup against Seattle in London.
A lot has changed since we talked before the final game of the preseason — Khalil Mack is a Bear, Earl Thomas is out for the season. What other recognizable names might be missing? And who may Seahawks fans not have heard of who has stepped up this season?
The Raiders are going to be missing two of their best offensive linemen in this game. Starting right tackle Donald Penn, who switched from left tackle to right tackle, was placed on injured reserve earlier in the season due to a foot injury.
His replacement is 2018 third-round pick Brandon Parker. The other starter that will be absent is left guard Kelechi Osemele, who hurt his knee in Week 4. The Raiders’ strength has always been their offensive line, and now with two of their best five missing, it’s a severely compromised unit.
Safe to say no Mack and a 1-4 record is not how Gruden’s return was envisioned. But with two first-round picks in the bank and a move to Vegas upcoming, what’s the fan temperature right now?
Raiders fans are always on edge. But that’s even truer now as the Raiders are 1-8 in their last nine games and 5-11 in their last 16 games. It’s a rough time to be a Raiders fan right now.
Over the last three weeks, the Seahawks running game has looked like it’s supposed to. Can the Raiders slow it down?
No. Probably not. The Raiders have an incredibly slow defense and it tends to wear down as the game goes on. Oakland is allowing 127 yards per game on the ground and giving up an average of 4.9 yards per carry. Seattle should be able to run at will against this Raiders defense.
On the other side, Marshawn Lynch is having his best season since he was the Seahawks rushing attack, and Derek Carr has put up some yardage but seems to have an interception problem. How does Seattle keep them off the board?
The way to stop the Raiders offense is simple: Pressure Derek Carr. When Carr has time in the pocket, he can be as deadly as any quarterback in the league. But when you pressure him, his game falls apart.
Carr has a passer rating of just 32 this year when he is pressured, the fifth-worst in the NFL. Make him feel uncomfortable and he starts to get careless with the ball. Not having two of his starting offensive linemen won’t help either.
What’s your prediction for Sunday?
To quote the boxing legend Clubber Lang: Pain. The Raiders just aren’t a very good football team right now. They can stay competitive for a while, but by the time the fourth quarter rolls around, this defense just doesn’t have the legs to compete. Seahawks 27, Raiders 17
