In the end, the Raiders were left with too much ground to make up against the defending-champion Seahawks.
Oakland’s strong second-half rally came up just short, with the Seahawks holding on for a 30-24 victory over the Raiders on Sunday afternoon in Seattle.
Early mistakes ultimately undid the Raiders, who dropped to 0-8. Three first-half Oakland turnovers helped Seattle build a 24-3 halftime lead, with the most costly miscue a 35-yard interception return touchdown by Seahawks linebacker Bruce Irvin.
However, the Raiders took the fight to the Seahawks in the second half, scoring a pair of third-quarter TDs to cut the deficit to 24-17. Oakland’s special teams came up big, with a blocked punt recovered for a score by wideout Brice Butler the initial catalyst for the Raiders’ comeback.
The Seahawks (5-3) would gather themselves, tallying two field goals to extend their lead to 30-17. And it appeared Seattle would be able to coast in on fumes.
But Oakland wasn’t done yet. After forcing a Seattle punt with about four minutes left, the Raiders put together a nine-play, 64-yard drive ending in a one-yard Derek Carr-to-Mychal Rivera TD with 1:52 remaining.
This left the Raiders with an onsides kick try, but Seattle recovered and ran out the clock. It wasn’t pretty, but Seattle — two games back of Arizona in the NFC West — isn’t in a position to be fretting about style points.
Tailback Marshawn Lynch rushed for 67 yards and two TDs for Seattle, which held the ball for nearly 35 minutes but managed a pedestrian 326 yards on 74 plays in a game played in rainy conditions. The Seahawks’ passing game struggled, with quarterback Russell Wilson connecting on just 17-of-35 passes for 179 yards.
Seattle shut down Oakland’s ground game, with Darren McFadden gaining just 20 yards on 13 carries. This put the burden on Carr, the Raiders’ rookie quarter. However, he showed improvement after the two picks, finishing with 24-of-41 completions for 194 yards and two scores. Tight end Rivera was his top target, hauling in eight passes for 38 yards and two TDs.
The Raiders host Denver next week. And Oakland can take solace in its good second-half form Sunday as it moves into the second half of its regular season schedule. If the Raiders keep playing like they did in the final two quarters at Seattle, they will beat someone. But when the Raiders aren’t sound, they are very vulnerable.
Of course, the same thing can be said for Seattle, which has a good deal to tighten up before hosting the Giants next Sunday. The Raiders weren’t the only ones giving points away on Sunday. Ultimately, Seattle had enough in the bank to pull through.
Granted, that’s a way to live, but it’s no way to thrive.
