Las Vegas Raiders: Expectations against the Seahawks in Week 12
By Brad Weiss
The Las Vegas Raiders take on the Seattle Seahawks in Week 12, and here are some expectations for them on Sunday inside Lumen Field.
In Week 12, the Las Vegas Raiders hit the road once more, taking on the Seattle Seahawks inside Lumen Field. This will be the second straight road game for the Silver and Black, this after beating Denver in overtime in Week 11, completing the season sweep of their rival.
Seattle brings a host of issues for this Raiders team on offense and defense, so this will be another huge test down the stretch. Las Vegas may have found a little juice on Sunday against Denver, and it will be interesting to see how they come out early in this one.
Here, we look at some expectations for the Raiders against the Seahawks on Sunday.
Las Vegas Raiders: Expectations against the Seahawks in Week 12
A heavy dose of Jacobs if healthy
Going into this week of practice, Josh Jacobs was not listed on the injury report but had some issues during the week. The word coming out of Vegas is that if he can go, Jacobs will go, and like Darren Waller a few weeks back, he will test his health during the pregame.
If Jacobs is healthy, the Raiders will give Seattle a heavy dose of him, as he helped open up the passing game in Week 11. Las Vegas needs a multi-faceted offense if they hope to leave Lumen Field with a win, so hopefully, Jacobs is 100 percent and ready to shoulder the load.
The offense will have more of a sense of urgency
Late in the fourth quarter, and in overtime, the Las Vegas Raiders looked like a completely different team on offense. Due to necessity, they ran an uptempo offense against a tired Broncos defense, and they may want to come out firing against Seattle on Sunday as well.
Seattle has the better team and is currently in first place in the NFC West, but that does not mean the Raiders cannot win this matchup. However, if Derek Carr and the offense come out sluggish, and just give possessions away, they are going to have a hard time matching the Seahawks on the road.
The defense could be in big trouble
Between DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Noah Fant, and Kenneth Walker III, quarterback Geno Smith has plenty of weapons to choose from. If the run game is on, Walker can kill a defense, while Smith is not afraid to take shots downfield to the likes of Lockett and Metcalf at any time.
Though the Raiders’ defense played better in Week 11, they were also taking on Russell Wilson and a Denver offense that has been putrid this season. Seattle brings a lot more talent on the offensive side of the ball to this matchup, and that could spell big trouble for the Las Vegas defense.