Seahawks vs. Raiders staff predictions: Seattle will win in London

The Seahawks and Raiders travel to London to play on Sunday. There is a good chance Seattle moves to 3-3 with a win, or so our staff thinks.

The Seahawks will play in London for the first time in franchise history. Thankfully, Seattle follows up that long trip with a bye week. But let’s forget about that for a second. Seattle needs a win and they are in good shape to get one.

Why do I say this? Because I am just agreeing with the rest of our staff. Here’s what everybody has to say about Sunday’s game.

Kevin Daggett (co-host of the 12th Man Rising podcast)

Should be a home game for the Raiders as they have crazy fans everywhere. That being said, Oakland sucks. Coach Jon Gruden’s return has not been fruitful so far. The ‘Hawks put up a good fight against the Rams but you can’t lose close games to teams like Los Angeles if you want to be taken seriously. Hopefully, Seattle’s pass rush will be on point because the defensive backfield will be tested with the weapons the Raiders have. I do think the ‘Hawks get it done this week against the hated old AFC West rival in a tight match. (By the way, I am a registered “Raider Hater.”)

Prediction: Seahawks 31 Raiders 27

Luke Allen (contributor)

Seattle showed a level of toughness and heart last week in a close defeat against the Rams that I was not expecting. Although they lost in a very competitive game, we saw a lot of good things. The offensive line remained solid against the most intimidating defensive line in the league last week, and they should have another good outing again against a really bad Oakland defense. Derek Carr is not good and I am not afraid of him, but Marshawn Lynch could put up some numbers. I see the Seahawks improving to .500 in London.

Prediction: Seahawks 23 Raiders 17

Todd Vandenberg (co-expert)

The Seahawks have their run game in overdrive, with three straight 100-yard rushers. The Raiders are terrible against the run, giving up 4.9 yards per carry. On the flip side, the Raiders can put yards up through the air, but not a lot of points. Seattle ranks in the bottom-fourth in offensive yardage, but are in the middle of the pack in points scored. They’re much more efficient than Oakland. They’ll show that in London as the Nightmare of Chucky continues.

Prediction: Seahawks 33 Raiders 19

Lee Vowell (co-expert)

The Seahawks showed me a lot against the Rams. I cannot remember a loss feeling nearly like a win in a long time. Maybe my expectations of Seattle have just been lowered too much. But with Chris Carson and Mike Davis running extremely well and Russell Wilson getting more comfortable with Brian Schottenheimer’s scheme, Seattle’s offense should be good enough to beat a fairly poor Raiders defense. One fun thing to watch will be Marshawn Lynch going up against Seattle for the first time. And seeing how motivated Carson will be to outdo Lynch.

Plus, let’s not forget that Ken Norton, Jr. should know this Oakland offense pretty well and know how to stop it.

Prediction: Seahawks 28 Raiders 20