Seahawks vs. Raiders: Will London change Jon Gruden’s fortunes?
The Oakland Raiders hope that a trip to London to face the Seattle Seahawks in Wembley Stadium will change their early-season fortunes.
The woes have just kept coming for Jon Gruden and the Oakland Raiders to start the 2018 season — even if many of those woes have been self-inflicted. The Khalil Mack-less Silver and Black haven’t been uncompetitive, but they’ve been unable to secure wins to this point. Now at 1-4, they go across the Atlantic Ocean to Wembley Stadium in London to face the Seattle Seahawks in Week 6.
Derek Carr and the Raiders offense have, in truth, not been as bad as you might believe looking at their record. Though inconsistent, Marshawn Lynch has shown he still has some left in the tank as well. With the Seattle defense looking a lesser version of their former selves due to injuries and departures, we should see Oakland able to move the ball well.
Where Gruden’s team has struggled is on the other side of the ball. The secondary was always going to be an issue, even more so with young Gareon Conley in the dog house. However, the absence of Mack has been glaring. The Oakland pass rush with Bruce Irvin leading the way has been virtually non-existent, allowing teams to pick them apart and causing the secondary more problems.
As for the Seahawks, it hasn’t exactly been a walk in the park to this point. Their offensive line continues to put Russell Wilson on the run. Having said that, new life in the run game has been found with the likes of Chris Carson and Mike Davis. They’ll likely look to utilize that against an Oakland run defense that’s been shaky as well.
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This isn’t the Seattle defense that we’re used to seeing, if we’re being honest. No Earl Thomas, no Richard Sherman, no Michael Bennett and the list goes on. It’s a new cast on that side of the ball, and that’s an issue for this group as they’ve not been a stalwart like in years past. They complete a highly imperfect group, but still have playmaking talent.
TV and Live Stream Info
Date: Sunday, Oct. 14, 2018
Start Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Location: London, England
Stadium: Wembley Stadium
TV Info: FOX
Live Stream: FuboTV, NFL Sunday Ticket
Though the Raiders are technically the home team, the fact that the Seahawks are favored in this game with it being at a neutral site shows that the oddsmakers think Seattle is the more formidable team. What is clearer, though, is that these teams aren’t far apart and that the oddsmakers think both should be able to score well on Sunday.
Betting Odds (via Odds Shark)
Point Spread: Seattle -2.5
Moneyline: Seattle -145, Oakland +125
Over/Under: 48.5
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Prediction
If there’s one way that you can really hurt this Seahawks team, it’s getting into the backfield and exploiting their offensive line. However, that’s not something that the Raiders are adept at since they dealt Khalil Mack. As such, London won’t be any kinder to Gruden than the states have been to this point as Oakland should suffer yet another loss.
Final Score: Seattle 27, Oakland 24