The Las Vegas Raiders take on the Seattle Seahawks in Week 12, and here are some keys to victory in that matchup on Sunday.
Coming off a strong overtime victory against the Denver Broncos, the Las Vegas Raiders will now travel to the Northwest, taking on the Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks have been one of the more surprising teams in the NFL this season, currently in first place in the NFC West, so this will be a tough test for the Silver and Black in Week 12.
Geno Smith has emerged as a legitimate long-term option at the quarterback position, and rookie running back Kenneth Walker is a tremendously talented player running the ball. The Seahawks have the talent on offense to score at any time, and their defense has been lights out in 2022 as well.
Here, we look at some keys to the Raiders beating the Seahawks on Sunday.
Las Vegas Raiders: Keys to victory against the Seahawks in 2022 Week 12
Keep Josh running
Even though Derek Carr and Davante Adams played the heroes on Sunday, running the ball consistently with Josh Jacobs helped open up the passing game late. Being able to continue to hammer the Broncos inside with the power running of Jacobs helped wear down Denver, and in the end, they had no answer late in the fourth quarter or overtime.
When Jacobs gets it going on the ground, good things are going to happen, and Sunday made his fourth 100-yard effort of the season. If he reaches the century mark in Week 12, the Silver and Black have a good chance to come away with the victory.
Get to Geno early on
As stated earlier, Smith is having a career year for the Seahawks, and some believe he could be rewarded with a long-term deal in Seattle. On Sunday, Las Vegas needs to get to him early, putting the kind of pressure they did on Russell Wilson and getting him to make bad decisions down the field.
Smith has changed the narrative surrounding him this season and is not forcing mistakes the way he has in the past. However, the Raiders’ pass rush took a big step forward last weekend, and that kind of effort could lead to Smith going back to his old ways on Sunday.
Play with urgency
Late in the game against Denver, and in overtime, the Raiders offense was playing with a sense of urgency, and they should come out with that same fire on Sunday. Playing on the road, they cannot afford to fall to an early deficit, and if Carr is working the offense and playing at a high pace early on, it will get the Seahawks’ defense on their toes.
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Despite being the underdog, the Raiders have a legitimate chance to go into Seattle and win on Sunday, but they will need to be close to perfect to do so. Getting to 4-7 may not be where the team thought they would be after 11 games, but it is a step closer to respectability.