Raiders-Seahawks: Position-by-position breakdown

Las Vegas Review-Journal

6 years ago

Seattle Seahawks’ quarterback Russell Wilson takes part in an NFL training session at the Grove Hotel in Chandler’s Cross, Watford, England, Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. The Seattle Seahawks are preparing for an NFL regular season game against the Oakland Raiders in London on Sunday. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

Seattle Seahawks’ offensive tackle Duane Brown speaks in a media huddle after an NFL training session at the Grove Hotel in Chandler’s Cross, Watford, England, Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. The Seattle Seahawks are preparing for an NFL regular season game against the Oakland Raiders in London on Sunday. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

The Raiders return to London for the first time in four years to face the Seahawks at 10 a.m. Sunday at Wembley Stadium. Here’s a breakdown by position:

Quarterbacks

Russell Wilson’s numbers are down, but he’s still playing like a top 10 quarterback. Wilson has passed for 10 touchdowns with three interceptions. Raiders quarterback Derek Carr leads the league in interceptions with eight and has seven touchdown passes. Carr has more passing yards than Wilson, but he’s not making smart plays in the red zone.

■ Advantage: Seahawks

Running backs

Marshawn Lynch will face his former team for the first regular season game since leaving Seattle in 2015. Lynch had nine carries last week against the Chargers for 31 yards. Expect the Raiders to increase Lynch’s workload against his former teammates. The Seahawks have found a rhythm in the rushing game with Chris Carson and Mike Davis. First-round pick Rashaad Penny didn’t get a carry last week.

■ Advantage: Raiders

Wide receivers

Wilson’s favorite target has been Tyler Lockett, who’s seventh in the league in yards per catch with 17.4. Doug Baldwin could receive plenty of targets after only one reception for 1 yard versus the Los Angeles Rams. The Raiders’ top receiver Amari Cooper is also coming off a poor outing — one catch for 10 yards versus the Chargers.

■ Advantage: Seahawks

Offensive line

Seattle’s offensive line shouldn’t be favored against anybody, but that’s how banged up the Raiders are in the trenches. Raiders guard Kelechi Osemele (knee) is doubtful. Rookie left tackle Kolton Miller is also dealing with a knee injury. The Seahawks have given up 18 sacks, third most in the NFL entering Week 6.

■ Advantage: Seahawks

Defensive line

The Seahawks don’t have notable names along the defensive line, but they’ve managed10 sacks. The Raiders’ defensive line has a league-low six sacks. The Seahawks are led by Frank Clark and the Raiders are guided by Bruce Irvin.

■ Advantage: Seahawks

Linebackers

The Seahawks’ once dominant defense has only one familiar face — former three-time All-Pro Bobby Wagner is still playing at a high level. Former Pro Bowler K.J. Wright is doubtful to play because of a knee injury. The Raiders are led by middle linebacker Marquel Lee.

■ Advantage: Seahawks

Secondary

For a game or two, it seemed the Raiders found their cornerback rotation with Rashaan Melvin, Gareon Conley and Leon Hall. Then Conley got burned multiple time by the Chargers’ wide receivers last week, and Daryl Worley took the majority of the snaps in his return from a four-game suspension. The Seahawks have more stability with Shaquill Griffin and Tre Flowers.

■ Advantage: Seahawks

Special teams

Former longtime Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski is now making field goals for the Seahawks; he’s 6-for-9. Raiders return specialist Dwayne Harris has struggled to deliver good field position.

■ Advantage: Seahawks

Intangibles

The Raiders waited until Thursday evening to travel to London. The late arrival could backfire and lead to a poor performance in front of a sold-out Wembley Stadium crowd.

■ Advantage: Seahawks

More Raiders: Follow all of our Raiders coverage online at reviewjournal.com/Raiders and @NFLinVegas on Twitter.

Contact Gilbert Manzano at gmanzano@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GManzano24 on Twitter.