One team has six wins, the other has three — just as expected, right? When you looked at the season schedule heading into Week 1, we knew this would be a battle between one of the worst teams in the league and one fighting for a playoff spot.
The problem is, we’d have had everything backward.
As disappointing as the Raiders have been this season, the Seahawks have been equally surprising — but in a positive way. Who knew they’d trade Russell Wilson and upgrade the quarterback position? Not me.
And yet, 11 weeks into the season, here we are.
Fresh off a much-needed win in Denver, the Raiders stay on the road and head to the Pacific Northwest to face a Seahawks team that will be hungry after losing at home to the Bucs in their last game (way back on November 13th, thanks to a bye week in between).
With their playoff hopes gone, can the Raiders keep the vibes positive? Or will last week’s nail-biter against one of the worst teams in the league prove to be fool’s gold?
Key Stats
Seattle: 28th in opponent rushing yards per game (140.9)
Las Vegas: 28th in second-half points per game, last three weeks (7.3)
While nobody is expecting the Raiders to win this game (they’re 3.5-point underdogs), the fact that Seattle has one of the worst run defenses in the league will make them feel a bit better about things. If Josh Jacobs can stay in the rhythm he has been in this season, they might be able to slow the game down and bit and keep this one close.
That said, the halftime adjustments have got to improve for Josh McDaniels and Co. An offense with as much talent as the Raiders have should not be near the bottom in any offensive category — especially if McDaniels is as good of an offensive mind as his reputation says he is.
Key Players
Nfl Cardinals Vs Seahawks Seattle Seahawks At Arizona Cardinals
Seattle: Kenneth Walker III
Currently the betting favorite for offensive rookie of the year, Walker has had two weeks to think about what went wrong against the Bucs as he put up the worst performance of his career on the ground — gaining just 17 yards on 10 carries (he did add 55 yards through the air, though). Prior to the dud in Germany, he had amassed 424 total yards over his previous four contests with six touchdowns. The Raiders come into this one, having allowed 469 yards on the ground in their last three games.
Las Vegas: Chandler Jones
I’ve been highly critical of Jones thus far, but I felt like he finally started to show some signs of life last week in Denver. If the Raiders defense wants to become competitive, Maxx Crosby is going to need some help from his running mate — both against the run and against the pass. If Jones can help force the Seahawks to lean heavily on quarterback Geno Smith (and not Walker), the Raiders might actually have a chance in this one.
Prediction
Seahawks 31, Raiders 20
Everyone got all excited last week about the win, but they barely one — and only thanks to some help from the opposing coach — against one of the worst teams in the league. The Seahawks are well-coached, coming off a bye week, and are playing at home in one of the best environments in the league. All that adds up to an easy win in my book.
