Seattle @ Las Vegas preview
Wembley Stadium
Last Meeting ( Aug 30, 2018 ) Oakland 30, Seattle 19
The Oakland Raiders make their second visit to Wembley Stadium in London on Sunday and hope for a better result when they take the field as the home team against an old rival in the Seattle Seahawks. Oakland, which is off to a disappointing start in coach Jon Gruden's return to the sideline, dropped a 38-14 decision to Miami at Wembley in 2014.
The Raiders hoped to follow their first victory of the season - an overtime triumph over Cleveland - with another but were defeated 26-10 by the Chargers in Los Angeles last week. Seattle, which was one of Oakland's AFC West rivals from 1977-2001, came close to handing the Los Angeles Rams their first loss of the year last Sunday as it carried a seven-point lead into the fourth quarter before falling 33-31. The Seahawks, who were seeking a third consecutive victory, trail the Rams by three games in the NFL West. Seattle will be lining up against a former teammate in Marshawn Lynch, who retired from the team after the 2015 campaign but sat out just one year before returning to the NFL with the Raiders last season.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, FOX. LINE: Seahawks -2.5. O/U: 48
ABOUT THE SEAHAWKS (2-3): Seattle's ground game had plenty of success against the Rams, gaining 190 yards - including a career-high 116 by Chris Carson. That created opportunities for Russell Wilson, who threw three touchdown passes after being blanked in the Seahawks' 20-17 triumph at Arizona a week earlier. Wilson, who has gone three games without an interception, is tied with Tom Brady for the most TD tosses since the start of last season with 44 - including 10 this year.
ABOUT THE RAIDERS (1-4): Derek Carr's disappointing season continued last week as he threw his league-high eighth interception - three of which have occurred in the end zone. The 27-year-old has made only seven touchdown passes but ranks fifth in the NFL with 1,641 yards and first in the AFC with a 71.3 completion percentage. Defensive end Bruce Irvin, who spent the first four seasons of his career with the Seahawks, leads Oakland with three sacks - including one in each of his last two games - while wide receiver Jordy Nelson tops the club with three TD catches.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Seahawks veteran WR Brandon Marshall did not catch a pass last week and has just 10 receptions for 125 yards this season but has made 20 catches for 242 yards and a touchdown in his last three games against the Raiders.
2. Lynch has been limited in practice this week due to a hip injury after gaining a season-low 31 yards on nine carries versus the Chargers.
3. The teams have split four meetings since Seattle moved to the NFC West, with the Seahawks posting a 30-24 home victory in the most recent matchup on Nov. 2, 2014.
PREDICTION: Seahawks 34, Raiders 24