New FSM Game Preview: Raiders vs Seahawks - Week 12

 

New FSM Game Preview: Raiders vs Seahawks – Week 12

Las Vegas Raiders (3-7) | Seattle Seahawks (6-4)

Franchise Sports Media

 

Older residents of Raider Nation remember beating up on the Seahawks when Seattle was in the AFC West. In Week 12, younger residents will get that same chance. Can Vegas start its first winning streak of 2022 in the Emerald City?

 

Coming off another series sweep of the Broncos, the Las Vegas Raiders will attempt to ride that momentum into the Pacific Northwest. Awaiting will be an old divisional foe, the Seattle Seahawks, formerly of the AFC West. Since transferring conferences back in 2002, the ‘Hawks don’t get to see the Raiders like in the 1980s or 90s, but it still makes for a great time on the gridiron when they do.

All time, Raider Nation narrowly holds the upper hand in the series against Seattle, having won 29 of 55 (.527) meetings. However, as a member of the NFC, the Seahawks have defeated the Raiders in three of five contests, winning the last head-to-head game back in 2018 at the Oakland Coliseum by a score of 27-3. But enough with the history lesson. What will we see this Sunday afternoon?

For the sake of irony, these two sides have performed in stark contrast to how most experts predicted at the season’s beginning. Seattle, who many had finishing bottom of the NFC West totem pole, is in a knife fight with SF for the division title (thanks to a career resurgence from QB Geno Smith). At the same time, Las Vegas is stuck looking for moral victories after an offseason that saw several marquee acquisitions. Still, I believe this is a winnable matchup for the Raiders.

They say, “You’re only as good as your last game,” and to be fair, Vegas is arriving in the Emerald City off a win while the Hawks lost to Tampa in Deutschland their last time out (followed by a Bye in Week 11). Naturally, Raider Nation will be battling the boisterous 12th Man fan base as well and should prepare as they would for a game in Kansas City or Pittsburgh. Read below for a deeper dive into Vegas’ keys to victory on Sunday, along with the latest injury and weather projections!

 

Previous contests

 

HOF game: Raiders 27 – Jaguars 11
PRE1: Raiders 26 – Vikings 20
PRE2: Raiders 15 – Dolphins 13
PRE3: Raiders 23 – Patriots 6

WK1: Chargers 24 – Raiders 19 (L)
WK2: Cardinals 29 – Raiders 23 (OT)/(L)
WK3: Titans 24 – Raiders 22 (L)
WK4: Raiders 32 – Broncos 23 (W)
WK5: Chiefs 30 – Raiders 29 (L)
WK6: BYE
WK7: Raiders 38 – Texans 20 (W)
WK8: Saints 24 – Raiders 0 (L)
WK9: Jaguars 27 – Raiders 20 (L)
WK10: Colts 25 – Raiders 20 (L)
WK11: Raiders 22 – Broncos 16 (OT)/(W)

 

KEYS TO THE GAME:

 

Rain City, USA

 

Seattle is world famous for a few things: Coffee, JIMI, and Nirvana all come quickly to mind. However, overarching all of that is the omnipresent rains of western Washington. Sunday’s game will likely be a wet one (SEE WEATHER REPORT AT BOTTOM), which will push ball control and security to the forefront of emphasis.

We know both Vegas and Seattle are comfortable running the ball; each side has a top-20 rusher in RB Josh Jacobs and Seattle’s rookie RB Kenneth Walker III. Jacobs is the more proven tailback, but Walker has gone for 100+ yards in two of his past four games. Then again, a wideout by the name of Davante Adams is the hottest player entering this game: Expect Vegas to get him the ball in shorter, schematic ways this week.

Whoever it is touting the rock will need to keep it snug and tight. More than ever, defenders are scrapping at the ball, and with the weather as it is, you can assume that will be amplified. The Raiders have done better with their turnovers on offense, but their defense will need to be ready to make a play when the opportunity presents itself. We know Vegas has the athletes to turn a fumble into a 70-yard defensive score.

 

Like KC or Pittsburgh

The 12th Man in Seattle is regularly credited with being the loudest fanbase in the NFL. Like Arrowhead Stadium, Lumen Field was structurally engineered to hold the crowd noise over the playing field (probably got some help from the guys up the road at Boeing). However, since the Raiders travel to KC annually and deal with other harsh environments like Denver and Pittsburgh, they are thoroughly familiar with adversarial situations (most other fanbases don’t like the Raiders if you somehow haven’t learned by now). Alas, communication among the on-field units will be essential.

 

Yo Geno

 

Geno Smith is enjoying a career year in his 10th season out of West Virginia. He currently sits among the top 10 passing yardage leaders, and his completion clip (72.8%) tops 2022 NFL starting signal callers. It’s hard not to root for Geno, especially since no one expected anything out of Seattle in any capacity before the season.

Still, we did see the San Francisco 49ers briefly expose him early in the year–Thanks to two sacks from DE Nick Bosa, Smith was uncomfortable in the pocket all day (throwing no touchdowns and one pick). Fortunately for Vegas, the Silver & Black have a monster pass rusher of their own in Maxx Crosby. If he can get any help from CHANDLER JONES, the Raiders can keep Smith just as baffled.

 

Coaching matchup

This one was not too close for me. You must respect the old-timer. Pete Carroll will likely own a Canton gold jacket at some point in the near future. The former safety from the University of the Pacific has gone on to head coach more than 250 games in the NFL over 17 seasons, winning at a .594 clip and a Super Bowl along the way. Fast-forward to year 13 in Seattle, and he’s become a city icon, much as he did as USC’s top ball coach in the early 2000s. He inspires with both his on-field energy as well as his orchestration of the defensive backfield. On the other hand, as we all know, Josh McDaniels is simply still trying to find his way as a head coach in the NFL: Advantage Carroll.

 

INJURY REPORT:

 

Below are Thursday’s (Nov. 24) practice participation sheets for the Raiders and Seahawks …

Las Vegas – LB Luke Masterson (Limited – Ribs), T Kolton Miller (Limited – Shoulder/abdomen), DT Kendal Vickers (DNP – Back).

Seattle – LB Cody Barton (Full – Foot), DE L.J. Collier (DNP – Illness), WR Dee Eskridge (DNP – Hand), G Damien Lewis (Limited – Ankle), S Ryan Neal (Full – Ankle).

WEATHER REPORT:

Thankfully, Lumen Field in Seattle won’t be as cold as Denver was last week, but as mentioned, it will likely feature scattered showers. With a forecasted temperature of 45 degrees and a 70% chance of rain, you can definitely say the conditions will be inclement–It’s looking like a quintessential day in the Pacific Northwest.

 

In Week 12, the Raiders will stay on the road and head to the Pacific Northwest for a matchup with a former-AFC West foe, the Seattle Seahawks. Kickoff is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 27, at 1:05 pm, with the game airing locally on CBS channel 8 (radio play-by-play on RNR AM920).

 

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-Gabe Santiago – Franchise Sports Media

Follow Gabe on Twitter & Instagram at @gps_onthemic

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